Hexose transport in hybrids between malignant and normal cells.

The kinetic parameters of hexose uptake were measured in matched pairs of hybrids between malignant and normal cells. Each pair consisted of a hybrid in which malignancy was initially suppressed and a segregant tumour derived from it. Comparisons were also made between tumour cells and non-tumorigenic derivatives selected from the tumour cell populations in vitro. Without exception, malignancy, as defined by the ability of the cell to grow progressively in vivo, was found to be linked to a systematic decrease in the Michaelis constant of the hexose transport system.