Name: a simple migration/invasion workflow using an automated live-cell imager
Uploaded: 2019-02-02T14:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about A Simple Migration/Invasion Workflow Using an Automated Live-cell Imager at JoVE.com

We would like to acknowledge our funding support by the Bloomfield Group Foundation through the Hunter Medical Research Institute (HMRI 13-02). X.Z is supported by an APA scholarship through the University of Newcastle and the HCRA Biomarkers Flagship PhD Scholarship.

NOTE: Two cell lines should be handled separately. The following procedures should be applied to one single cell line if not specified.
1. Optimize Cell Density Prior to Wounding
<ol>
	<li>Culture adherent cells in T75 cm2 tissue culture flasks to about 80% confluence in phenol-red free Dulbecco&#39;s Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS), 200 mM L-glutamine and 2 &#181;g/mL insulin at 37 &#176;C with 5% CO2 (standa...

     

<ol>
	<li>Graham, C. H., Lala, P. K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Mechanisms+of+placental+invasion+of+the+uterus+and+their+control.">Mechanisms of placental invasion of the uterus and their control.</a> Biochemistry and Cell Biology. 70, 867-874 (1992).</li><li>Affolter, M., Zeller, R., Caussinus, E. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Tissue+remodelling+through+branching+morphogenesis.">Tissue remodelling through branching morphogenesis.</a> Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology. 10, 831-842 (2009).</li><li>Brugues, A., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Forces+driving+epithelial+wound+healing.">Forces driving epithelial wound healing.</a> Nature Physics. 10, 683-690 (2014).</li><li>Weigelt, B., Peterse, J. L., van't Veer, L. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Breast+cancer+metastasis:+markers+and+models.">Breast cancer metastasis: markers and models.</a> Nature Reviews Cancer. 5, 591-602 (2005).</li><li>Kalluri, R., Weinberg, R. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+basics+of+epithelial-mesenchymal+transition.">The basics of epithelial-mesenchymal transition.</a> Journal of Clinical Investigation. 119, 1420-1428 (2009).</li><li>Scully, O. J., Bay, B. H., Yip, G., Yu, Y. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Breast+cancer+metastasis.">Breast cancer metastasis.</a> Cancer Genomics Proteomics. 9, 311-320 (2012).</li><li>Kramer, N., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=In+vitro+cell+migration+and+invasion+assays.">In vitro cell migration and invasion assays.</a> Mutation Research/Reviews in Mutation Research. 752, 10-24 (2013).</li><li>Holliday, D. L., Speirs, V. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Choosing+the+right+cell+line+for+breast+cancer+research.">Choosing the right cell line for breast cancer research.</a> Breast Cancer Research. 13, 215 (2011).</li><li>Clark, A. G., Vignjevic, D. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Modes+of+cancer+cell+invasion+and+the+role+of+the+microenvironment.">Modes of cancer cell invasion and the role of the microenvironment.</a> Current Opinion in Cell Biology. 36, 13-22 (2015).</li></ol>

Migration and invasion are important parameters to assess the mobility of cancer cells. By using the 96-pin scratch tool, it is possible to conduct wound healing assays in 2D and 3D simultaneously. Apart from facilitating automatic scanning, providing a stable cell culture environment with minimum disruption, the scratch assay conducted using the 96-pin scratch tool provides consistent scratch wounds, enabling experiments that are more robust and reproducible. The 96-well plate format gives additional options of either i...

Cell migration and invasion are important biological processes that enable normal functions in the human body, such as wound closure, invasion of placenta into the uterus and mammary gland morphogenesis1,2,3. The human body has precise and strict control of these biological events; however, there are some exceptions. Malignant tumors, for example, are able to escape this safeguard, exhibit abnormal proliferation and invade into neighboring tissue, which is called metastasis. Metastasis is the major cause of cancer-related mortality4.
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women, and is the second-highest cause of cancer-related death among women in developed countries worldwide5. Breast cancer originates from ducts or lobules that consist of one or more layers of epithelial cells. In the normal breast, epithelial cells adhere to one another and to the basement membrane through membrane proteins such as E-cadherin and integrins6. However, invasive breast cancer cells have lost their polarity and cell-cell adhesion, and classically undergo epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) and gain the ability to move. After extravasation, these cells move across the extracellular matrix (ECM) and enter the blood vessel or the lymphatic system, followed then by intravasation and metastatic growth7. Understanding the mechanisms by which this occurs is of great significance, since metastasis is the most common cause of cancer-related mortalities and is closely related to cancer cell migration/invasion. To visualize the movement of cancer cells, migration and invasion assays are ideal models to study 2D and 3D cell movement, respectively. Migration directly assesses the movement of the cells whereas invasion involves interaction with the microenvironment and the ability to degrade biological barriers. The two processes are not fully independent of one another, as migration is a requirement of invasion.
Several methods have been developed to study migration and invasion. As reviewed by Kramer et al., migration assays such as wound healing, fence and micro-carrier assays generate a cell-free area to allow cells to move into, assessing the change of area; whereas, transwell and capillary assays are based on the number of cells that move toward an attractant8. For invasion assays, an ECM environment has to be set up with ECM gel or collagen for instance, and 3D movement can be assessed by monitoring the invasion area, distance and cell counts (e.g. transwell assay, platypus assay)8. Another type of invasion assay is to combine the invasive cells with non-invasive cells and assess the behavior of the invasive cells (e.g. spheroid assays). The above methods have their pros and cons, and a way that is easy to approach, easy to repeat, and to combine the migration assay and invasion assay in a similar workflow is preferential in experimental design.
This protocol describes the measurement of cell migration and invasion using a live-cell imager. It is a real-time cell monitoring system installed in a standard cell culture incubator. It takes high definition images according to the set scanning intervals and measurements by applying appropriate masks to the cells or fluorescent targets. The module of migration/invasion assay includes using a 96-pin scratch tool, which is suitable for making homogeneous scratch wounds on a cell monolayer in a 96-well plate. The mechanism is based on in vitro wound healing assays, monitoring 2D cell movement on a plastic or coated surface. Invasion or 3D movement across an additional ECM within the scratch wound can also be assessed. A brief workflow is illustrated in Figure 1.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:695px;" width="695">
	<colgroup>
		<col />
		<col />
		<col />
		<col />
	</colgroup>
	<tbody>
		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;width:309px;">0.5% trypsin-EDTA solution (10x)</td>
			<td style="width:100px;">ThermoFisher Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">30028-02</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Dilute to 2x in DPBS</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;width:309px;">Countess II FL Automated Cell Counter</td>
			<td style="width:100px;">ThermoFisher Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">AMQAX1000</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Automated cell counter</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;width:309px;">Detergent 1 (Alconox)</td>
			<td style="width:100px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">242985</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">0.5% working concentration</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;width:309px;">Detergent 2 (Virkon S)</td>
			<td style="width:100px;">VetProduct DIRECT</td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td style="width:167px;">1% working concentration</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="80">
			<td height="80" style="height:80px;width:309px;">Dulbecco&#8217;s Modified Eagle Medium, no phenol-red</td>
			<td style="width:100px;">ThermoFisher Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">21063-045</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Supplimented with 10% FBS, 200 mM L-glutamine, 2 &#956;g/ml insulin</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;width:309px;">ECM Gel (matrigel)</td>
			<td style="width:100px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">E6909</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Growth-factor reduced, phenol red free</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:309px;">Essen ImageLock 96-well plate, flat bottom</td>
			<td style="width:100px;">Essen</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">4379</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:309px;">EVE Counting slides</td>
			<td style="width:100px;">BioTools</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">EVS-50</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;width:309px;">Fetal bovine serum (FBS)</td>
			<td style="width:100px;">Bovogen Biologicals</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">SFBS-F-500ml</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;width:309px;">IncuCyte 96-well scratch wound cell invasion accessories</td>
			<td style="width:100px;">Essen</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">4444</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Including CoolBox, 2x CoolSink</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="60">
			<td height="60" style="height:60px;width:309px;">IncuCyte Cell migration kit</td>
			<td style="width:100px;">Essen</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">4493</td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Including the 96-well pin block, 2x wash boats and the software</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:309px;">IncuCyte ZOOM</td>
			<td style="width:100px;">Essen</td>
			<td style="width:119px;"></td>
			<td style="width:167px;">Live cell analysis system</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="20">
			<td height="20" style="height:20px;width:309px;">Insulin solution human</td>
			<td style="width:100px;">Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">19278-5ML</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;width:309px;">L-glutamine solution (100x)</td>
			<td style="width:100px;">ThermoFisher Scientific</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">25030-091</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;width:309px;">Tissue culture flask, 75 cm2 growth area</td>
			<td style="width:100px;">Greiner Bio-One</td>
			<td style="width:119px;">658175</td>
			<td style="width:167px;"></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

a simple migration/invasion workflow using an automated live-cell imager

Cancer cell mobility is crucial for the initiation of metastasis. Therefore, investigation of the cell movement and invasive capacity is of great significance. Migration assays provide basic insight of cell movement at a 2D level, whereas invasion assays are more physiologically relevant, mimicking in vivo cancer cell dislodgment from the original site and invading through the extracellular matrix. The current protocol provides a single workflow for migration and invasion assays. Together with the integrated automated microscopic camera for real-time HD images and built-in analysis module, it gives researchers a time-efficient, simple and reproducible experimental option. This protocol also includes substitutions for the consumables and alternative analysis methods for users to choose from.

This migration/invasion assay is based on the wound healing assay, which evaluates the rate of the cells moving into a cell-free area created by the 96-pin scratch tool. The difference between the migration and invasion assays are that migration assays measure cells moving on the tissue-culture treated plastic surface and invasion measures cells moving across ECM gel.
The scratch tool is designed to make consistent scratch wound...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about A Simple Migration/Invasion Workflow Using an Automated Live-cell Imager at JoVE.com

A Simple Migration/Invasion Workflow Using an Automated Live-cell Imager

The current protocol describes an integrated method investigating cancer cell migration and invasion on a single platform in real-time, providing an easily reproducible and time-efficient option to study cell mobility and morphology.

Cancer cell mobility is crucial for the initiation of metastasis. Therefore, investigation of the cell movement and invasive capacity is of great ...

Cancer cell mobility is crucial for the initiation of metastasis. Therefore, investigation of cell movement and invasive capacity of tumor cells is of great interest. This integrated method for investigating cancer cell migration and invasion, on a single platform in real time, provides an easily reproducible and time-efficient option for studying cell mobility and pathology.This method can provide insight into cancer cell invasion, through the extra-cellular matrix, and can be applied to other cell types. To achieve an optimal scratch time, ensure that the seeding density has been optimized and do not prolong the incubation period once the cell monolayer has reached 100 percent confluence. To determine the optimal number of seeded cells for a migration assay, place the cells in a range of densities in triplicate in a 96-wall plate.Place the plate into the live cell imager, and select schedule scans from the task list in the imager software. In the drawer setup pane, determine the positions of the plate, and click add vessel'to select the plate type. In the scan setup pane, select or edit the scan pattern according to the experimental plate setup, and set the scan type as standard.Right-click on the timeline, and select set intervals. Then set add scans every'to two hours for 24 hours, and click apply. After 24 hours, open the drawer setup to allow the experimental plate to be selected, and click remove vessel.Select three to six representative images, and place them in a new image collection. To determine a proper processing definition, use segmentation adjustment, clean-up, and filters to apply an appropriate confluence mask, and use preview current all'to view the accuracy of the masks. Launch the analysis job and determine an optimized cell density, according to an approximate 100 percent confluence against time, within six to eighteen hours, depending on when the migration assay commences.Then, apply the confluence processing analysis tool to the high-definition phase contrast images automatically collected to generate a cell proliferation curve against time. Before beginning the assay, coat the plate for the invasion assay with 50 microliters of extracellular matrix gel, diluted in ice-cold cell culture medium, to a 100 microgram per milliliter concentration. Then, place the plate in a cell culture incubator overnight.The next afternoon, gently aspirate the excess medium, and plate the cells at the optimized density, in triplicate, into the appropriate wells of the extracellular matrix-coated plate, and into an additional uncoated 96-well plate. Then, place the plates in the cell culture incubator overnight. The next morning, place the uncoated migration assay plate into the base plate holder of the scratch tool, and use the guiding dowels to carefully place the top of the holder on to the base.Press and hold the black lever while carefully lifting the pin block to make the scratches. The scratches in each well should be visible with the naked eye, as well as under the microscope. Then, wash the plate one or two times with pre-warmed culture medium to remove any detached cells or cell sheets.For the invasion assay, scratch the coated plate as just demonstrated. After removing any detached cells and sheets, use a pre-chilled cool box to equilibrate the plate at four degrees Celsius for five minutes before carefully aspirating the cold medium. Next, add 50 microliters of diluted extracellular matrix gel into the appropriate wells and place the plate into the cell culture incubator for thirty minutes.Bubbles are common when working with extracellular matrix gel, but they can be eliminated by aspirating 70 percent ethanol. Then add 100 microliters of fresh, warm medium, with or without the test compound, to the appropriate wells of either the migration or invasion assay plate, and place the plate into the live cell imaging platform. To clean the scratch tool, place the top pin block in individual 45 milliliter wash boats, containing 5 percent detergent one, one percent detergent two, sterile distilled water, or 70 percent ethanol for five minutes per wash before placing the scratch tool back on to its base plate, for storage in a dust-free environment.For imaging the wound assays, after allowing the plate to equilibrate for five minutes, select vessel type'as the image log plane, and set the scan type as scratch wound. Select or edit the scan pattern, according to the experimental plate setup, and schedule 24 hours of repeat scanning every one to two hours for 72 hours, or until the wounds are healed as demonstrated. When all of the wounds have healed, stop the scan, and select three to six representative images, spanning a range of sound percentages, including images right after the wound has been made, and wound closure by 10 and 50 percent.To determine a proper processing definition, apply an appropriate scratch wound mask, and a confluence mask as demonstrated, and use preview current all'to view the accuracy of the masks. Then, launch the analysis job. In a migration assay, the wound width is the average distance between the cell sheets beside the wound.The wound confluence is the confluence within the wounded area. The ideal initial wound confluence should be close to zero percent. The relative wound density and wound confluence suggest the speed of the cells occupying the scratch wound area.These data almost overlap in both of these representative cell lines. Different cell lines demonstrate very different wound healing abilities, indicating differential migratory abilities between the cell lines. For example, lamellipodia are observed in this breast adenocarcinoma cell line at the migration front at the beginning of the migration, whereas this mucin 1-producing breast cancer cell line exhibited no sign of cell migration at the same time point.Further, the relative wound density of the breast adenocarcinoma line was saturated after 50 hours, whereas the relative wound density of the mucin 1-producing breast cancer cell line did not change over time, underscoring the highly invasive phenotype of the adenocarcinoma cells and and non-invasiveness of the mucin 1-producing breast cancer cells. The adenocarcinoma cells also behaved differently while invading through the extracellular matrix gel, demonstrating an elongated morphology with leading protrusions, and in migration assays, a bleb at the migration front was visualized. When plating, remember that if too few cells are seeded, the scratch will not form properly, and if too many cells are seeded, there will be overcrowding.Following this procedure, track treatments can be added, allowing this method to be adapted for high-throughput track screening. This method allows researchers to perform these assays on a single platform, which is high-throughput, and allows researchers to monitor their cells in real time, rather than in experimental endpoint. The disinfectants used for sterilizing the scratch tool may be hazardous.Make sure you collect and dispose of the solutions according to the relevant MSDS, and the regular trigger lines of your facility.

Research

JoVE Journal

Cancer Research

Moving Upwards: A Simple and Flexible In Vitro Three-dimensional Invasion Assay Protocol

Moving Upwards: A Simple and Flexible In Vitro Three-dimensional Invasion Assay Protocol

Although 3D invasion assays have been developed, the challenge remains to study cells without affecting the integrity of their microenvironment. ...

Long-term Live-cell Imaging to Assess Cell Fate in Response to Paclitaxel

Live-cell imaging is a powerful technique that can be used to directly visualize biological phenomena in single cells over extended periods of time. Over ...

Live Cell Imaging of the TGF-	&beta;/Smad3 Signaling Pathway In Vitro and In Vivo Using an Adenovirus Reporter System

Transforming Growth Factor &#946; (TGF-&#946;) signaling regulates many important functions required for cellular homeostasis and is commonly found ...

Live-Cell Imaging Assays to Study Glioblastoma Brain Tumor Stem Cell Migration and Invasion

Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive brain tumor that is poorly controlled with the currently available treatment options. Key features of GBMs include ...

Spatial and Temporal Control of Murine Melanoma Initiation from Mutant Melanocyte Stem Cells

Cutaneous melanoma is well known as the most aggressive skin cancer. Although the risk factors and major genetic alterations continue to be documented ...

In Vitro Assay to Study Tumor-macrophage Interaction

Tumor associated macrophages (TAMs) account for a large percentage of cells in the tumor mass for different types of cancers. Glioblastoma (GBM), a ...

A Data Integration Workflow to Identify Drug Combinations Targeting Synthetic Lethal Interactions

A synthetic lethal interaction between two genes is given when knock-out of either one of the two genes does not affect cell viability but knock-out of ...

An Automated Differential Nuclear Staining Assay for Accurate Determination of Mitocan Cytotoxicity

The contribution of mitochondria to oncogenic transformation is a subject of wide interest and active study. As the field of cancer metabolism becomes ...

A Rapid Screening Workflow to Identify Potential Combination Therapy for GBM using Patient-Derived Glioma Stem Cells

The glioma stem cells (GSCs) are a small fraction of cancer cells which play essential roles in tumor initiation, angiogenesis, and drug resistance in ...

Automated Dissection Protocol for Tumor Enrichment in Low Tumor Content Tissues

Tumor enrichment in low tumor content tissues, those below 20% tumor content depending on the method, is required to generate quality data reproducibly ...