Name: a comprehensive procedure to evaluate the in vitro performance of the putative hemangioblastoma neovascularization using the spheroid sprouting assay
Uploaded: 2018-04-12T14:15:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about A Comprehensive Procedure to Evaluate the In Vitro Performance of the Putative Hemangioblastoma Neovascularization Using the Spheroid Sprouting Assay at JoVE.

This work was supported by grants from the Shanghai Committee of Science and Technology (15411951800, 15410723200). The authors wish to thank Prof. YuMei Wen and Prof. Chao Zhao of the Pathogenic Microorganism Department of Fudan University for their technical assistance.

This method was performed in accordance with the approved guidelines and regulations of the Research Ethics Committee of Huashan Hospital, Fudan University. Corresponding standard safety measures were followed in each step. For a schematic presentation, please refer to Figure 1.
1. Cell Culture and Plasmid Construct
<ol>
	<li>Routinely maintain the human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) in Dulbecco&#39;s modified Eagle&#39;s medium (DMEM) supplemented with 10% fetal b...

<ol>
	<li>Lonser, R. R., 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=von+Hippel-Lindau+disease.">von Hippel-Lindau disease.</a> Lancet. 361 (9374), 2059-2067 (2003).</li><li>Hussein, M. R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Central+nervous+system+capillary+haemangioblastoma:+the+pathologist's+viewpoint.">Central nervous system capillary haemangioblastoma: the pathologist's viewpoint.</a> Int J Exp Pathol. 88 (5), 311-324 (2007).</li><li>Ma, D., 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=Hemangioblastomas+might+derive+from+neoplastic+transformation+of+neural+stem+cells/progenitors+in+the+specific+niche.">Hemangioblastomas might derive from neoplastic transformation of neural stem cells/progenitors in the specific niche.</a> Carcinogenesis. 32 (1), 102-109 (2011).</li><li>Zhuang, Z., 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=Tumor+derived+vasculogenesis+in+von+Hippel-Lindau+disease-associated+tumors.">Tumor derived vasculogenesis in von Hippel-Lindau disease-associated tumors.</a> Sci Rep. 4, 4102 (2014).</li><li>Glasker, S., 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=VHL-deficient+vasculogenesis+in+hemangioblastoma.">VHL-deficient vasculogenesis in hemangioblastoma.</a> Exp Mol Pathol. 96 (2), 162-167 (2014).</li><li>Wizigmann-Voos, S., Breier, G., Risau, W., Plate, K. H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Up-regulation+of+vascular+endothelial+growth+factor+and+its+receptors+in+von+Hippel-Lindau+disease-associated+and+sporadic+hemangioblastomas.">Up-regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor and its receptors in von Hippel-Lindau disease-associated and sporadic hemangioblastomas.</a> Cancer Res. 55 (6), 1358-1364 (1995).</li><li>Cancilla, P. A., Zimmerman, H. M. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+fine+structure+of+a+cerebellar+hemangioblastoma.">The fine structure of a cerebellar hemangioblastoma.</a> J Neuropathol Exp Neurol. 24 (4), 621-628 (1965).</li><li>Kawamura, J., Garcia, J. H., Kamijyo, Y. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Cerebellar+hemangioblastoma:+histogenesis+of+stroma+cells.">Cerebellar hemangioblastoma: histogenesis of stroma cells.</a> Cancer. 31 (6), 1528-1540 (1973).</li><li>Jurco, S., 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=Hemangioblastomas:+histogenesis+of+the+stromal+cell+studied+by+immunocytochemistry.">Hemangioblastomas: histogenesis of the stromal cell studied by immunocytochemistry.</a> Hum Pathol. 13 (1), 13-18 (1982).</li><li>Ma, D., 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=Identification+of+tumorigenic+cells+and+implication+of+their+aberrant+differentiation+in+human+hemangioblastomas.">Identification of tumorigenic cells and implication of their aberrant differentiation in human hemangioblastomas.</a> Cancer Biol Ther. 12 (8), 727-736 (2011).</li><li>Ma, D., 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=CD41+and+CD45+expression+marks+the+angioformative+initiation+of+neovascularisation+in+human+haemangioblastoma.">CD41 and CD45 expression marks the angioformative initiation of neovascularisation in human haemangioblastoma.</a> Tumour Biol. 37 (3), 3765-3774 (2016).</li><li>Sharifpanah, F., Sauer, H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Stem+Cell+Spheroid-Based+Sprout+Assay+in+Three-Dimensional+Fibrin+Scaffold:+A+Novel+In+Vitro+Model+for+the+Study+of+Angiogenesis.">Stem Cell Spheroid-Based Sprout Assay in Three-Dimensional Fibrin Scaffold: A Novel In Vitro Model for the Study of Angiogenesis.</a> Methods Mol Biol. 1430, 179-189 (2016).</li><li>Cai, H., 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=Long+non-coding+RNA+taurine+upregulated+1+enhances+tumor-induced+angiogenesis+through+inhibiting+microRNA-299+in+human+glioblastoma.">Long non-coding RNA taurine upregulated 1 enhances tumor-induced angiogenesis through inhibiting microRNA-299 in human glioblastoma.</a> Oncogene. 36 (3), 318-331 (2017).</li><li>Xu, J., 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=Construction+of+Conveniently+Screening+pLKO.1-TRC+Vector+Tagged+with+TurboGFP.">Construction of Conveniently Screening pLKO.1-TRC Vector Tagged with TurboGFP.</a> Appl Biochem Biotechnol. 181 (2), 699-709 (2017).</li><li>Laib, A. M., 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=Spheroid-based+human+endothelial+cell+microvessel+formation+in+vivo.">Spheroid-based human endothelial cell microvessel formation in vivo.</a> Nat Protoc. 4 (8), 1202-1215 (2009).</li><li>D'Alessio, A., Moccia, F., Li, J. H., Micera, A., Kyriakides, T. R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Angiogenesis+and+Vasculogenesis+in+Health+and+Disease.">Angiogenesis and Vasculogenesis in Health and Disease.</a> Biomed Res Int. 2015, 126582 (2015).</li><li>Finkenzeller, G., Graner, S., Kirkpatrick, C. J., Fuchs, S., Stark, G. B. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Impaired+in+vivo+vasculogenic+potential+of+endothelial+progenitor+cells+in+comparison+to+human+umbilical+vein+endothelial+cells+in+a+spheroid-based+implantation+model.">Impaired in vivo vasculogenic potential of endothelial progenitor cells in comparison to human umbilical vein endothelial cells in a spheroid-based implantation model.</a> Cell Prolif. 42 (4), 498-505 (2009).</li><li>Morin, K. T., Tranquillo, R. T. <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+models+of+angiogenesis+and+vasculogenesis+in+fibrin+gel.">In vitro models of angiogenesis and vasculogenesis in fibrin gel.</a> Exp Cell Res. 319 (16), 2409-2417 (2013).</li><li>Blacher, S., 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=Cell+invasion+in+the+spheroid+sprouting+assay:+a+spatial+organisation+analysis+adaptable+to+cell+behaviour.">Cell invasion in the spheroid sprouting assay: a spatial organisation analysis adaptable to cell behaviour.</a> PLoS One. 9 (5), 97019 (2014).</li><li>Straume, O., 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=Suppression+of+heat+shock+protein+27+induces+long-term+dormancy+in+human+breast+cancer.">Suppression of heat shock protein 27 induces long-term dormancy in human breast cancer.</a> Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 109 (22), 8699-8704 (2012).</li><li>Naumov, G. N., Akslen, L. A., Folkman, J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Role+of+angiogenesis+in+human+tumor+dormancy:+animal+models+of+the+angiogenic+switch.">Role of angiogenesis in human tumor dormancy: animal models of the angiogenic switch.</a> Cell Cycle. 5 (16), 1779-1787 (2006).</li><li>Naumov, G. N., Folkman, J., Straume, O. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Tumor+dormancy+due+to+failure+of+angiogenesis:+role+of+the+microenvironment.">Tumor dormancy due to failure of angiogenesis: role of the microenvironment.</a> Clin Exp Metastasis. 26 (1), 51-60 (2009).</li><li>Wang, Y., Yang, J., Du, G., Ma, D., Zhou, L. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Neuroprotective+effects+respond+to+cerebral+ischemia+without+susceptibility+to+HB-tumorigenesis+in+VHL+heterozygous+knockout+mice.">Neuroprotective effects respond to cerebral ischemia without susceptibility to HB-tumorigenesis in VHL heterozygous knockout mice.</a> Mol Carcinog. 56 (10), 2342-2351 (2017).</li><li>Stratmann, R., Krieg, M., Haas, R., Plate, K. H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Putative+control+of+angiogenesis+in+hemangioblastomas+by+the+von+Hippel-Lindau+tumor+suppressor+gene.">Putative control of angiogenesis in hemangioblastomas by the von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor gene.</a> J Neuropathol Exp Neurol. 56 (11), 1242-1252 (1997).</li><li>Correa de Sampaio, P., 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=A+heterogeneous+in+vitro+three+dimensional+model+of+tumour-stroma+interactions+regulating+sprouting+angiogenesis.">A heterogeneous in vitro three dimensional model of tumour-stroma interactions regulating sprouting angiogenesis.</a> PLoS One. 7 (2), 30753 (2012).</li></ol>

Recently, multiple fields of vascular biology research were stimulated by the study of the angiogenic endothelium15. In this article, we developed an endothelial spheroid sprouting technique as an experimental model to study the vessel formation that originates from the VHL gene&#39;s loss of function in manipulated endothelial cells to identify novel candidate molecules of the angiogenic cascade. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report to examine the angiogenic effects of the endog...

Hemangioblastomas (HBs) are benign vascular tumors that are found exclusively within the human central nervous system (CNS). They develop in patients with either von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease or sporadic lesions. VHL-HBs are difficult to cure through surgical treatment due to the frequent recurrence and multiple lesions that result from this genetic disorder1. Although the inactivation of the VHL tumor suppressor gene has been considered the root cause of the tumorigenesis of VHL-HBs, the cytological origin (including neovascularization) and evolutionary process of HBs remain largely controversial2. Therefore, a better understanding of HB-neovascular biological mechanisms may provide useful insights into the most promising anti-vascular strategies for VHL-HBs.
Recent research has suggested that HB-neovascularization is similar to the embryologic vasculogenesis3,4,5. Classic vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-mediated angiogenesis that originated from the vascular endothelium and that is driven by VHL loss of function resulted in proliferation and neovascular formation, which has been challenged6. In 1965, Cancilla and Zimmerman found, using electron microscopy, that HBs originated from the endothelium7. Later it was found that stromal cells are derived from vasoformative element8. In 1982, Jurco et al. found that stromal cells are of endothelial origin9. Therefore, we hypothesized that human vascular endothelial cells are the original cells of HB-neovascularization10. Although it is better to use the primary cultures from HB cells derived from VHL patient surgeries, our previous research indicated that primary cultures from HB are not stable, and cell lines could not be established3. Moreover, the primary cultures in the 3D environment could not identify the cytological origin of HB-neovascularization because they include the progenitors of HB-vascular ingredients10,11. Therefore, as a primitive and classic model of endothelial cells, human vascular endothelial cells (HUVEC) could serve as an alternative cellular model for HBs.
The spheroid sprouting assay is a new model in tissue engineering12,13. In this paper, a 3D collagen-based coculture system in vitro using the spheroid sprouting assay was developed, with an overall goal to evaluate whether classic tumor angiogenesis exists in HBs, as well as its role in HBs.

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			<td height="40" style="height:40px;width:265px;">human umbilical vein endothelial cell</td>
			<td style="width:147px;">Fudan IBS Cell Center</td>
			<td style="width:343px;">FDCC-HXN180</td>
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			<td height="40" style="height:40px;">dulbecco&#8217;s modified eagle&#8217;s medium&#160;</td>
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			<td>Addgene</td>
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			<td height="40" style="height:40px;">packing plasmid psPAX2&#160;</td>
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			<td>Addgene</td>
			<td>#12259</td>
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			<td height="40" style="height:40px;">3D round-bottom 96-well plates</td>
			<td>S-Bio</td>
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			<td>BD Biosciences</td>
			<td>354234</td>
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			<td height="40" style="height:40px;">Opti-MEM medium</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
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			<td style="width:761px;">reduced serum medium&#160;</td>
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			<td height="40" style="height:40px;">15-well plate</td>
			<td>Ibidi</td>
			<td>81501</td>
			<td>Air bubbles in the gel can be reduced by equilibrating the &#956;&#8211;Slide angiogenesis before usage inside the incubator overnight</td>
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			<td height="40" style="height:40px;">endothelial cell growth supplements</td>
			<td>Sciencell</td>
			<td>#1052</td>
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			<td height="40" style="height:40px;">10-cm culture dish</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>Scipu000813</td>
			<td></td>
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			<td height="40" style="height:40px;">Puromycin</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>A1113802</td>
			<td></td>
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			<td height="40" style="height:40px;">typsin-EDTA</td>
			<td>Gibco</td>
			<td>25200056</td>
			<td></td>
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		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;">Automated Cell Counter System &#160;</td>
			<td>BioTech</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="40">
			<td height="40" style="height:40px;">Image Analysis software&#160;</td>
			<td>Winmasis</td>
			<td style="width:343px;"></td>
			<td>http://mywim.wimasis.com&#160;</td>
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a comprehensive procedure to evaluate the in vitro performance of the putative hemangioblastoma neovascularization using the spheroid sprouting assay

The inactivation of the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor gene plays a crucial role in the development of hemangioblastomas (HBs) within the human central nervous system (CNS). However, both the cytological origin and the evolutionary process of HBs (including neovascularization) remain controversial, and anti-angiogenesis for VHL-HBs, based on classic HB angiogenesis, have produced disappointing results in clinical trials. One major obstacle to the successful clinical translation of anti-vascular treatment is the lack of a thorough understanding of neovascularization in this vascular tumor. In this article, we present a comprehensive procedure to evaluate in vitro whether classic tumor angiogenesis exists in HBs, as well as its role in HBs. With this procedure, researchers can accurately understand the complexity of HB neovascularization and identify the function of this common form of angiogenesis in HBs. These protocols can be used to evaluate the most promising anti-vascular therapy for tumors, which has high translational potential either for tumors treatment or for aiding in the optimization of the anti-angiogenic treatment for HBs in future translations. The results highlight the complexity of HB neovascularization and suggest that this common form angiogenesis is only a complementary mechanism in HB neovascularization.

Original images are taken by inverted light microscope. The typical images of the control group and the VHL group are shown in Figure 2-A1 and Figure 2-A2. The sprouting length of the control group is shorter than that of the VHL group.
After uploading the Images, the online platform provides analysis results directly. The output consis...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about A Comprehensive Procedure to Evaluate the In Vitro Performance of the Putative Hemangioblastoma Neovascularization Using the Spheroid Sprouting Assay at JoVE.

A Comprehensive Procedure to Evaluate the In Vitro Performance of the Putative Hemangioblastoma Neovascularization Using the Spheroid Sprouting Assay

This paper presents a comprehensive procedure to evaluate in vitro whether classic tumor angiogenesis exists in hemangioblastomas (HBs) and its role in HBs. The results highlight the complexity of HB-neovascularization and suggest that this common form of angiogenesis is only a complementary mechanism in the HB-neovascularization.

A Comprehensive Procedure to Evaluate the In Vitro Performance of the Putative Hemangioblastoma Neovascularization Using the Spheroid Sprouting Assay

The inactivation of the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumor suppressor gene plays a crucial role in the development of hemangioblastomas (HBs) within the human ...

The overall goal of this experiment is to evaluate the performance of the putative hemangioblastoma neovascularization using the spheroid sprouting assay in vitro. The method can help answer the key questions in the angiogenic field, such as tumor angiogenesis. The main advantage of this technique is that the product of a comprehensive procedure to evaluate in vitro where the classic tumor angiogenesis exists in hemangioblastoma and it grows in hemangioblastoma.The implication of this technique extends toward therapy of hemangioblastumor and vasculaturement because the result highlight the complexity of hemangioblastumor neovascularization, and that suggests that this common form of angiogenesis is only a complementary mechanism. So this method can provide insight into the study of hemangioblastumor neovascularization. It can also be applied to tumors, angiogenesis, and vasculogenesis related application in some solid tumor, such as tumor vasculogenic mimicry in glass tumor.Real demonstration of this method is critical as the generation of these manipulated endothelial cell spheroid step are difficult to learn. Because the suitable condition are important. First, culture the HUVEC endothelial cells in DMEM culture medium supplemented with ten percent fetal bovine serum, penicillin, and streptomycin.Then, maintain the culture in the incubator at 37 degrees Celsius with five percent carbon dioxide. Next, to synthesize the the shRNA fragment, digest the plasmid with ApaI and EcoRI restriction enzymes. Then to the digested plasmid, add both the forward and reverse oligos, 10x NEB buffer, and double distilled water to a final volume of 50 microliters.After adding all the reagents, heat the mixture at 98 degrees Celsius for four minutes. Then, gradually cool down to room temperature in a span of few hours. Use T4 ligase to ligate the annealed oligos and the plasmid.Incubate the tube at four degrees Celsius for overnight. The following day, add five microliters of ligation mix to 25 microliters of DH5alpha competent cells. In 500 microliters of DMEM medium, add the lentiviral vector or the scrambled vector, along with other packaging plasmids.Then, incubate the lentiviral mixture for 25 minutes at 37 degrees Celsius. Post incubation, add 7 milliliters of the DMEM medium to the scrambled or lentiviral mixed solution. Culture the 293FT cells in DMEM medium without fetal bovine serum in a 10 centimeter culture dish.Add one milliliter of the lentiviral or scrambled solution to the 293FT cells in the culture dish. After six hours, aspirate the old medium from the culture dish. Then, replace the old medium with fresh DMEM medium containing 10 percent fetal bovine serum.After 48 hours, collect the medium. Transfer the HUVEC endothelial cells in the lentiviral medium and maintain for 72 hours. Next, add two micrograms per milliliter of puromycin to the HUVEC cell culture medium.Finally, incubate the culture for another 24 hours. The next day, add one milliliter of trypsin EDTA to trypsinize HUVEC cells. Then resuspend the trypsinized cell suspension in DMEM medium with 10 percent fetal bovine serum.Count the number of cells using a cell counter. After counting, seed the cells in a 3D round bottom 96-well plate. After seeding, incubate the cells at 37 degrees Celsius with five percent carbon dioxide for 72 hours continuously.After 36 hours, replace half of the culture medium with fresh medium. First, thaw the gel solution at four degrees Celsius, and then dilute it at a ratio of one to five with the reduced serum medium. Suck the spheroids from the DMEM medium using a micropipette.Next, wash the spheroids with five milliliters of reduced serum medium. Carefully transfer the suspended spheroids and the diluted gel. In a 15 well plate, embed 300 microlitters of the mixed liquid of spheroids and diluted gel.Incubate the plate at 37 degrees Celsius and five percent carbon dioxide for one hour. Next, add 400 microliters of reduced serum medium to a single well. To prevent evaporation, fill the surrounding of the well with sterile water.Then, culture the cells at 37 degrees Celsius, five percent carbon dioxide, and 100 percent humidity for an hour. After the incubation, aspirate the old medium and add 600 microliters of reduced serum medium with one percent endothelial cell growth supplement to the well and incubate for a day. Capture images using an inverted light microscope.Here, spheroid sprouting of the cells is captured using inverted light microscope to study the effect of VHL gene silencing on the angiogenic potential of the endothelial cells. A spheroid is seen to sprout 12 hours after lentiviral treatment in both the control and VHL silenced endothelial cells. Next, statistical analysis is performed to quantify the length of the sprouts generated by the VHL gene silenced spheroids.The mean sprout length seem to be about 125 micrometers in the VHL silenced groups while only being about 65 micrometers in the control group. The VHL silenced group's average cumulative sprout length is approximately 1250 micrometers while the control group's is 680 micrometers. These results indicate a two-fold sprout length increase in the VHL silenced groups.Once mastered, this technique can be done in 48 hours if it's performed properly. Following this procedure and method like capillary formation assay can be performed in order to answer additional questions. Like exploring the angiogenic ability of vascular endothelial cells.After this development, this technique paved the way for researchers in the field of angiogenesis to explore tumor inner vasculorization. After watching this video, you should have a good understanding of which genes loose a function in manipulated endothelial cells used for exploding assay.

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Cancer Research

Utilizing Functional Genomics Screening to Identify Potentially Novel Drug Targets in Cancer Cell Spheroid Cultures

The identification of functional driver events in cancer is central to furthering our understanding of cancer biology and indispensable for the discovery of the next generation of novel drug targets. It is becoming apparent that more complex models of cancer are required to fully appreciate the contributing factors that drive tumorigenesis in vivo and increase the efficacy of novel therapies that make the transition from pre-clinical models to clinical trials.
Here we present a methodology for generating uniform and reproducible tumor spheroids that can be subjected to siRNA functional screening. These spheroids display many characteristics that are found in solid tumors that are not present in traditional two-dimension culture. We show that several commonly used breast cancer cell lines are amenable to this protocol. Furthermore, we provide proof-of-principle data utilizing the breast cancer cell line BT474, confirming their dependency on amplification of the epidermal growth factor receptor HER2 and mutation of phosphatidylinositol-4,5-biphosphate 3-kinase (PIK3CA) when grown as tumor spheroids. Finally, we are able to further investigate and confirm the spatial impact of these dependencies using immunohistochemistry.

Identifying novel drug targets that transition from pre-clinical testing to human trials is a scientific priority. To that end, here we describe a functional genomics approach for examining the impact of gene depletion on cancer cell line spheroids, which more appropriately model human cancers in vivo.

The identification of functional driver events in cancer is central to furthering our understanding of cancer biology and indispensable for the discovery ...

A Comprehensive Procedure to Evaluate the In Vivo Performance of Cancer Nanomedicines

Inspired by the success of previous cancer nanomedicines in the clinic, researchers have generated a large number of novel formulations in the past decade. However, only a small number of nanomedicines have been approved for clinical use, whereas the majority of nanomedicines under clinical development have produced disappointing results. One major obstacle to the successful clinical translation of new cancer nanomedicines is the lack of an accurate understanding of their in vivo performance. This article features a rigorous procedure to characterize the in vivo behavior of nanomedicines in tumor-bearing mice at systemic, tissue, single-cell, and subcellular levels via the integration of positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET-CT), radioactivity quantification methods, flow cytometry, and fluorescence microscopy. Using this approach, researchers can accurately evaluate novel nanoscale formulations in relevant mouse models of cancer. These protocols may have the ability to identify the most promising cancer nanomedicines with high translational potential or to aid in the optimization of cancer nanomedicines for future translation.

A Comprehensive Procedure to Evaluate the In Vivo Performance of Cancer Nanomedicines

The poor understanding of the in vivo performance of nanomedicines stymies their clinical translation. Procedures to evaluate the in vivo behavior of cancer nanomedicines at systemic, tissue, single-cell, and subcellular levels in tumor-bearing immunocompetent mice are described here. This approach may help researchers to identify promising cancer nanomedicines for clinical translation.

Inspired by the success of previous cancer nanomedicines in the clinic, researchers have generated a large number of novel formulations in the past ...

Evaporation-reducing Culture Condition Increases the Reproducibility of Multicellular Spheroid Formation in Microtiter Plates

Tumor models that closely imitate in vivo conditions are becoming increasingly popular in drug discovery and development for the screening of potential anti-cancer drugs. Multicellular tumor spheroids (MCTSes) effectively mimic the physiological conditions of solid tumors, making them excellent in vitro models for lead optimization and target validation. Out of the various techniques available for MCTS culture, the liquid-overlay method on agarose is one of the most inexpensive methods for MCTS generation. However, the reliable transfer of MCTS cultures using liquid-overlay for high-throughput screening may be compromised by a number of limitations, including the coating of microtiter plates (MPs) with agarose and the irreproducibility of uniform MCTS formation across wells. MPs are significantly prone to edge effects that result from excessive evaporation of medium from the exterior of the plate, preventing the use of the entire plate for drug tests. This manuscript provides detailed technical improvements to the liquid-overlay technique to increase the scalability and reproducibility of uniform MCTS formation. Additionally, details on a simple, semi-automatic, and universally applicable software tool for the evaluation of MCTS features after drug treatment is presented.

The uneven loss of medium from microtiter plates affects the reproducibility of uniform multicellular tumor spheroid formation. Improving culture conditions to reduce significant medium loss will improve the reproducibility of spheroid formation and the results of spheroid-based assays using the liquid-overlay technique.

Tumor models that closely imitate in vivo conditions are becoming increasingly popular in drug discovery and development for the screening of potential ...

Using the Dot Assay to Analyze Migration of Cell Sheets

Although complex organisms appear static, their tissues are under a continuous turnover. As cells age, die, and are replaced by new cells, cells move within tissues in a tightly orchestrated manner. During tumor development, this equilibrium is disturbed, and tumor cells leave the epithelium of origin to invade the local microenvironment, to travel to distant sites, and to ultimately form metastatic tumors at distant sites. The dot assay is a simple, two-dimensional unconstrained migration assay, to assess the net movement of cell sheets into a cell-free area, and to analyze parameters of cell migration using time-lapse imaging. Here, the dot assay is demonstrated using a human invasive, lung colony forming breast cancer cell line, MCF10CA1a, to analyze the cells' migratory response to epidermal growth factor (EGF), which is known to increase malignant potential of breast cancer cells and to alter the migratory phenotype of cells.

Cell migration is essential for development, tissue maintenance and repair, and tumorigenesis, and is regulated by growth factors, chemokines, and cytokines. This protocol describes the dot assay, a two-dimensional, unconstrained migration assay to assess the migratory phenotype of attached, cohesive cell sheets in response to microenvironmental cues.

Although complex organisms appear static, their tissues are under a continuous turnover. As cells age, die, and are replaced by new cells, cells move ...

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 malignant brain tumor with no cure, has up to a half the tumor mass TAMs. TAMs can be pro-tumoral or anti-tumoral, depending on the activation of specific genes in the cells. Genetic mutations in the tumors, through regulating cytokine expression, can affect recruitment of TAMs to the tumor microenvironment. Here, we describe a quantitative cell-based assay to assess macrophage recruitment by the conditioned medium from the tumor cells. This assay uses the human macrophage cell line MV-4-11 to study macrophage attraction by the conditioned medium from glioblastoma, allowing for high reproducibility and low variability. Data generated with this assay can contribute to a better understanding of the interaction between the tumor and the tumor microenvironment. Similar assay can be used to assess interaction between the tumor cells and other immune cells, including T cells and natural killer (NK) cells.

This article represents a useful in vitro assay to evaluate the capability of conditioned medium from tumor cells to attract macrophages.

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

In Vitro Establishment of a Genetically Engineered Murine Head and Neck Cancer Cell Line using an Adeno-Associated Virus-Cas9 System

The use of primary normal epithelial cells makes it possible to reproducibly induce genomic alterations required for cellular transformation by introducing specific mutations in oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes, using clustered regulatory interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)-based genome editing technology in mice. This technology allows us to accurately mimic the genetic changes that occur in human cancers using mice. By genetically transforming murine primary cells, we can better study cancer development, progression, treatment, and diagnosis. In this study, we used Cre-inducible Cas9 mouse tongue epithelial cells to enable genome editing using adeno-associated virus (AAV) in vitro. Specifically, by altering KRAS, p53, and APC in normal tongue epithelial cells, we generated a murine head and neck cancer (HNC) cell line in vitro,which is tumorigenic in syngeneic mice. The method presented here describes in detail how to generate HNC cell lines with specific genomic alterations and explains their suitability for predicting tumor progression in syngeneic mice. We envision that this promising method will be informative and useful to study tumor biology and therapy of HNC.

Development of murine models with specific genes mutated in head and neck cancer patients is required for understanding of neoplasia. Here, we present a protocol for in vitro transformation of primary murine tongue cells using an adeno-associated virus-Cas9 system to generate murine HNC cell lines with specific genomic alterations.

The use of primary normal epithelial cells makes it possible to reproducibly induce genomic alterations required for cellular transformation by ...

Pathological Analysis of Lung Metastasis Following Lateral Tail-Vein Injection of Tumor Cells

Metastasis, the primary cause of morbidity and mortality for most cancer patients, can be challenging to model preclinically in mice. Few spontaneous metastasis models are available. Thus, the experimental metastasis model involving tail-vein injection of suitable cell lines is a mainstay of metastasis research. When cancer cells are injected into the lateral tail-vein, the lung is their preferred site of colonization. A potential limitation of this technique is the accurate quantification of the metastatic lung tumor burden. While some investigators count macrometastases of a pre-defined size and/or include micrometastases following sectioning of tissue, others determine the area of metastatic lesions relative to normal tissue area. Both of these quantification methods can be exceedingly difficult when the metastatic burden is high. Herein, we demonstrate an intravenous injection model of lung metastasis followed by an advanced method for quantifying metastatic tumor burden using image analysis software. This process allows for investigation of multiple end-point parameters, including average metastasis size, total number of metastases, and total metastasis area, to provide a comprehensive analysis. Furthermore, this method has been reviewed by a veterinary pathologist board-certified by the American College of Veterinary Pathologists (SEK) to ensure accuracy.

Intravenous injection of cancer cells is often used in metastasis research, but the metastatic tumor burden can be difficult to analyze. Herein, we demonstrate a tail-vein injection model of metastasis and include a novel approach to analyze the resulting metastatic lung tumor burden.

Metastasis, the primary cause of morbidity and mortality for most cancer patients, can be challenging to model preclinically in mice. Few spontaneous ...

Modeling Brain Metastases Through Intracranial Injection and Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Metastatic spread of cancer is an unfortunate consequence of disease progression, aggressive cancer subtypes, and/or late diagnosis. Brain metastases are particularly devastating, difficult to treat, and confer a poor prognosis. While the precise incidence of brain metastases in the United States remains hard to estimate, it is likely to increase as extracranial therapies continue to become more efficacious in treating cancer. Thus, it is necessary to identify and develop novel therapeutic approaches to treat metastasis at this site. To this end, intracranial injection of cancer cells has become a well-established method in which to model brain metastasis. Previously, the inability to directly measure tumor growth has been a technical hindrance to this model; however, increasing availability and quality of small animal imaging modalities, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), are vastly improving the ability to monitor tumor growth over time and infer changes within the brain during the experimental period. Herein, intracranial injection of murine mammary tumor cells into immunocompetent mice followed by MRI is demonstrated. The presented injection approach utilizes isoflurane anesthesia and a stereotactic setup with a digitally controlled, automated drill and needle injection to enhance precision, and reduce technical error. MRI is measured over time using a 9.4 Tesla instrument in The Ohio State University James Comprehensive Cancer Center Small Animal Imaging Shared Resource. Tumor volume measurements are demonstrated at each time point through use of ImageJ. Overall, this intracranial injection approach allows for precise injection, day-to-day monitoring, and accurate tumor volume measurements, which combined greatly enhance the utility of this model system to test novel hypotheses on the drivers of brain metastases.

Intracranial brain metastasis modeling is complicated by an inability to monitor tumor size and response to treatment with precise and timely methods. The presented methodology couples intracranial tumor injection with magnetic resonance imaging analysis, which when combined, cultivates precise and consistent injections, enhanced animal monitoring, and accurate tumor volume measurements.

Metastatic spread of cancer is an unfortunate consequence of disease progression, aggressive cancer subtypes, and/or late diagnosis. Brain metastases are ...

A Three-Dimensional Spheroid Model to Investigate the Tumor-Stromal Interaction in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

The aggressiveness and lack of well-tolerated and widely effective treatments for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the predominant form of liver cancer, rationalize its rank as the second most common cause of cancer-related death. Preclinical models need to be adapted to recapitulate the human conditions to select the best therapeutic candidates for clinical development and aid the delivery of personalized medicine. Three-dimensional (3D) cellular spheroid models show promise as an emerging in vitro alternative to two-dimensional (2D) monolayer cultures. Here, we describe a 3D tumor spheroid&#160;model which exploits the ability of individual cells to aggregate when maintained in hanging droplets, and is more representative of an in vivo environment than standard monolayers. Furthermore, 3D spheroids can be produced by combining homotypic or heterotypic cells, more reflective of the cellular heterogeneity in vivo, potentially enabling the study of environmental interactions that can influence progression and treatment responses. The current research optimized the cell density to form 3D homotypic and heterotypic tumor spheroids by immobilizing cell suspensions on the lids of standard 10 cm3 Petri dishes. Longitudinal analysis was performed to generate growth curves for homotypic versus heterotypic tumor/fibroblasts spheroids. Finally, the proliferative impact of fibroblasts (COS7 cells) and liver myofibroblasts (LX2) on homotypic tumor (Hep3B) spheroids was investigated. A seeding density of 3,000 cells (in 20 &#181;L media) successfully yielded Huh7/COS7 heterotypic spheroids, which displayed a steady increase in size up to culture day 8, followed by growth retardation. This finding was corroborated using Hep3B homotypic spheroids cultured in LX2 (human hepatic stellate cell line) conditioned medium (CM). LX2 CM triggered the proliferation of Hep3B spheroids compared to control tumor spheroids. In conclusion, this protocol has shown that 3D tumor spheroids can be used as a simple, economical, and prescreen in vitro tool to study tumor-stromal interactions more comprehensively.

Comprehensive in vitro models that faithfully recapitulate the relevant human disease are lacking. The current study presents three-dimensional (3D) tumor spheroid creation and culture, a reliable in vitro tool to study the tumor-stromal interaction in human hepatocellular carcinoma.

The aggressiveness and lack of well-tolerated and widely effective treatments for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the predominant form of liver ...

Quantifying Telomere Length Using Non-Radioactive Chemiluminescence Detection

Optimization of Performance Parameters of the TAGGG Telomere Length Assay

Telomeres are repetitive sequences which are present at chromosomal ends; their shortening is a characteristic feature of human somatic cells. Shortening occurs due to a problem with end replication and the absence of the telomerase enzyme, which is responsible for maintaining telomere length. Interestingly, telomeres also shorten in response to various internal physiological processes, like oxidative stress and inflammation, which may be impacted due to extracellular agents like pollutants, infectious agents, nutrients, or radiation. Thus, telomere length serves as an excellent biomarker of aging and various physiological health parameters. The TAGGG telomere length assay kit is used to quantify average telomere lengths using the telomere restriction fragment (TRF) assay and is highly reproducible. However, it is an expensive method, and because of this, it is not employed routinely for large sample numbers. Here, we describe a detailed protocol for an optimized and cost-effective measurement of telomere length using Southern blots or TRF analysis and non-radioactive chemiluminescence-based detection.

Author Spotlight: Optimization of Performance Parameters of the TAGGG Telomere Length Assay  

Here, we describe in detail the protocol for quantifying telomere length using non-radioactive chemiluminescent detection, with a focus on the optimization of various performance parameters of the TAGGG telomere length assay kit, such as buffer quantities and probe concentrations.

Telomeres are repetitive sequences which are present at chromosomal ends; their shortening is a characteristic feature of human somatic cells. Shortening ...