Loss of cell-population-density-dependent incorporation of fucose into the lipid fraction of cultured human tumour cells.

The incorporation of radioactively labelled fucose into the lipid fraction of cultured normal human cells and several human tumour-cell lines was examined as a function of the cell population density. Normal cells exhibited a density-dependent pattern of incorporation, whereas in tumour cells the radioactivity incorporated was independent of the cell population density. An exception was found among the tumour cells, which suggests a possible correlation between the loss of this marker and the ability to produce tumours.