Correlation of the electrophoretic mobility and oxygen uptake of Ehrlich ascites tumor cells.

By the use of Ehrlich ascites tumor and mouse thymic cells incubated with glucose, succinate, on2,4-dinitnophe nol, the correlation of their electrophoretic mobility and metabolic activity was studied. Ehnlichascites tumor cells showed increased mobility associated with suppressed ox ygen uptake on the addition of glucose. Neunaminidase treatment of the cells suggests that none of the removable sialic acid contributes to the observed increase in cell mobility. Furthermore, such mobility changewas related to neither the high glycolytic activity of the cells non the consequent reduction in the pH of the incubation medium. A similar increased mobility associated with suppressed oxygen uptake was observedwhen 0.05 mM2,4-dinitnophe nol was added to the cells. However, the addition of succinatecaused decreased mobilityassociatedwithaccel erated oxygen uptake. It was concluded that the suppres sive change in the rate of respiration would alter the negativesurface changeof Ehnlichascitestumor cells so as to increase their mobility and, conversely, its accelerative change would cause a decrease in their mobility. On the other hand, thymic cells from normal mice did not show in the presenceof glucose anychangeseither in their mobility on in oxygen uptake, and the changes in the rate of oxygen uptake induced by the addition of succinate on0.05 mM2,4dinitrophenol did not result in any significant alterations in their mobility. Apparently, thymic cells differ from Ehnlich ascitestumor cells in biochemical characteristics aswell as in cell surface properties. The mechanism of the linkage between the mobility and oxygen uptake of Ehrlich ascites tumor cells is discussed.