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Growth in Vitro and Induction of Differentiation in Cells of Basal Cell Cancer¹

The Skin and Cancer Hospital of Philadelphia, Department of Dermatology, Temple University Health Sciences Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19140

Cells from nodules of human epidermal basal cell cancers, showing no evidence for differentiation (keratinization) in vivo, keratinized in vitro. The cells grew as an epithelial sheet that centrally was a stratified squamous epithelium, whereas at the edge it was a monolayer. DNA synthesis and mitosis occurred not only in the cell layer attached to the substratum but in upper layers of the epithelium as well. At the periphery of the epithelium, cells of basal cell cancers showed decreased mutual adhesiveness. They also showed contact inhibition of overlap between each other and when confronting normal human epidermal cells. Young cultures were comprised predominantly of immature undifferentiated cells similar to those in vivo. In old cultures showing diminished growth, differentiation in the form of keratinization emerged as a prominent feature but usually occurred in a nonorganized fashion within the epithelium. These results indicate that the inability of cells from basal cell cancers to keratinize in vivo is not related to any permanent alteration in the genetic material that regulates this aspect of cell behavior.

¹ Supported by USPHS Grant 1 PO 1CA 11536 from the National Cancer Institute.

Received 8/23/71. Accepted 11/19/71.