31P NMR spectroscopy of 9L cell line in culture: Differential effects of high temperature on anchored cells and spheroids

The differential effects of high temperature on 9L rat gliosarcoma cells cultured in two distinctive forms, namely, anchored monolayer cells and multicellular spheroids, were investigated using 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. The critical temperatures resulting in irreversible changes in cellular energetics were found to be significantly different: 45°C for anchored cells and 43°C for multicellular spheroids, respectively. Phosphonionoester levels in multicellular spheroids were found to be consistently higher than those in anchored monolayer cells regardless of the temperature to which they were exposed. The study demonstrates that tissue derived from a single cell line may exhibit different metabolic properties depending on its growth pattern. © 1991 Academic Press, Inc.