Intracellular concentration of sodium and other elements as related to mitogenesis and oncogenesis in vivo
Cameron, I.L.; Smith, N.K.; Pool, T.B.; Sparks, R.L.
Cancer Research 40(5): 1493-1500
1980
ISSN/ISBN: 0008-5472 PMID: 7370987 Document Number: 167853
Unfixed freeze-dried and uncoated tissue sections of 18 normal and 4 tumor cell populations were subjected to electron microprobing of the nucleus and the cytoplasm. Energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis was done to determine concentration (mmol/kg dry weight) for Na, Mg, P, S, Cl and K. Na concentration was significantly higher in the tumorous cells . The rapidly dividing cells had significantly higher Na concentration than did the slowly dividing cells but significantly less Na than did the tumor cells. Cl showed the same significant concentration pattern as Na. For both Na and Cl, the concentration was about the same in the nucleus and cytoplasm of each cell type studied. A number of significant and previously unreported correlations between the concentrations of various elements in the cytoplasm and the nucleus of the cells are revealed. High intracellular Na and Cl concentrations are apparently associated with mitogenesis and even higher Na and Cl concentrations are associated with oncogenesis. An elevated intracellular concentration of K and of Mg is associated with the maintenance of a high rate of mitotic activity in the nontumorous cells but is not necessary for the maintenance of a high rate of mitotic activity in the tumor cells.