The authors acknowledge funding sources from D&#8217;Youville College School of Pharmacy, Buffalo, NY.

1. Preparare i supporti differenti e componenti aggiuntivi <ol><li> Prima di sperimentare, preparare supporti costituito da DMEM o altri supporti specificati con l&#39;aggiunta di una normale FBS, carbone spogliato FBS, o carbone spogliato FBS più il componente da testare. Si noti che più componenti possono essere testati in ogni esperimento. </li><li> Pesare e diluire gli ormoni, fattori di crescita, citochine o opportunamente essere disciolti nel siero carbone spogliato alla concentrazione fisiologica. </li></ol> 2. Preparare il collagene Matrix on Ice <ol><li> Preparare 2 ml di collagene I matrice a 2,2 mg / ml aggiungendo i seguenti componenti filtrati sterili su ghiaccio: 200 ml 10x PBS (pH 7.4), 5,4 ml 1 N NaOH, 600 ml di doppia H 2 O distillata e 1,2 ml di collagene I (a 3,63 mg / ml). </li><li> Tenere soluzione collagene I in ghiaccio fino alla piastra. </li></ol> 3. Preparare piatti Migration / Invasion per test &lt;/ P&gt; <ol><li> Per ciascuna linea cellulare da testare, utilizzare una piastra camera 24 pozzetti in cui 12-pozzetti contengono inserti. Utilizzare aggiuntivi 12 pozzetti che non contengono inserti per aggiungere i media chemiotattico e trasferire gli inserti per il set up sperimentale. NOTA: una matrice di collagene su piastre con un polietilene teraphthalate (PET) di membrana e 8 micron dimensione dei pori è ottimale per le linee di cellule usano qui. Tuttavia, una matrice matrigel in lastre pretrattata può anche essere sostituito con la dimensione dei pori diminuita secondo la linea cellulare indagato. </li><li> Chiaramente etichettare il piatto, con 3 pozzi per condizione di essere analizzati (migrazione FBS, migrazione CS-FBS, FBS invasione, e CS-FBS invasione e FBS-migrazione per un controllo, linea cellulare non invasiva). Migrazione Assay dal movimento attraverso i pori in una membrana PET, e dosaggio invasione di movimento attraverso una matrice di collagene o matrigel e poi attraverso i pori nella membrana. Utilizzare diversi marcatori di colore per ogni condizione cella a unaid nel processo di placcatura. </li></ol> 4. Distribuire l&#39;invasione Matrix <ol><li> Pipettare attentamente 75 microlitri della soluzione di matrice di collagene negli inserti da utilizzare per saggi di invasione. Usare cautela per evitare le bolle. Disperse bolle applicando una punta della pipetta invertita alla superficie. </li><li> Trasferire la piastra con inserti collagene rivestite a CO 2 incubatore 37 ° C e 5% per 30 minuti per consentire il gel a solidificare. </li></ol> 5. Piatto celle sulla membrana o Invasion Matrix <ol><li> Nel frattempo, trypsinize cellule e aggiungono media con il 10% FBS. Celle Spin a 200 xg per 5 minuti in una centrifuga da tavolo e risciacquo 3x in media liberi di siero. </li><li> Risospendere in media liberi siero. Contare le cellule con un emocitometro o contatore presentazione automatica. Aggiungi mezzi di comunicazione liberi di siero a una concentrazione finale di 5 x 10 4 cellule / ml. </li><li> Quando la matrice di collagene è solidificato (dopo 30 min), aggiungere 700 ml di media con entrambi2% FBS o definiti carbone-spogliati FBS a ciascun bene. Dei 12 inserti per piastra: <ul><li> 3 inserti hanno collagene e pozzi con i media + 2% FBS </li><li> 3 inserti hanno collagene e pozzi con i media + 2% CS-FBS </li><li> 3 inserti non hanno collagene e pozzi con i media + 2% FBS </li><li> 3 inserti non hanno collagene e pozzi con i media + 2% CS-FBS </li></ul><ol><li> Utilizzare piastre aggiuntive a seconda del numero di fattori da testare e con un controllo senza collagene corrispondente a ciascuna condizione. </li></ol></li><li> Aggiungi sospensione cellulare agli inserti a 5 x 10 4 cellule / ml, placcatura 500 cellule microlitri per inserto in tutti gli inserti di migrazione e invasione. </li><li> Incubare le cellule per 22 ore a 37 ° C. </li></ol> 6. quantificare il numero di Migrazione e cellule invasori <ol><li> Impostare colorazione dei pozzetti con metanolo fissante, eosina, e hemotoxylin, in pozzetti separati. </li><li> Usare tamponi di cotone per rimuovere le cellule e la matrice di ogni bene.Rrepeat con seconda domanda tampone per ogni bene. </li><li> Con pinze, immergere ogni inserto 5 volte per 1 sec in ciascuna delle 3 soluzioni in successione. </li><li> Lasciare asciugare inserti O / N. </li><li> Entrambi i) rimuovere i filtri con un bisturi, tagliare con cura intorno ai bordi e montare su un vetrino con coprioggetto e immersione in olio, o ii) consentire gli inserti asciugare O / N invertita e utilizzare gli inserti direttamente per la microscopia. </li><li> Il giorno successivo, visualizzare diapositive o inserti al microscopio con un obiettivo 20X e prendere 5 immagini provenienti da diverse regioni del filtro. Per migliorare la coerenza, prendere 4 campi esterni e uno centrale. </li><li> Contare le cellule per tutte le condizioni utilizzando il software ImageJ e applicare le formule seguenti. </li><li> Determinare la percentuale invasione come segue: Media # di cellule che invadono attraverso collagene inserisco = a Media # di cellule che migrano attraverso inserti di controllo = b Invasion% = (a / b) * 100 </li><li> Determinare l&#39;Indice Invasion in 2% FBS come segue: % Invasione delle cellule essere analizzato (in 2% FBS) = c % Invasione delle cellule non invasivi di controllo in (2% FBS) = d Invasion Index (FBS) = (c / d) </li><li> Determinare l&#39;indice Invasion in 2% CS-FBS come segue: % Invasione delle cellule essere analizzato (in 2% CS-FBS) = e % Invasione delle cellule di controllo non invasivi in ​​(2% CS-FBS) = f Invasion Index (CS-FBS) = (E / F) </li></ol> 7. Ripetere protocollo sperimentale Paragonando Charcoal-spogliato FBS a FBS Charcoal-stripped + X n con più fattori combinati <ol><li> Ripetere la procedura più volte necessario utilizzando diversi componenti per &quot;X&quot; o una combinazione di componenti. </li><li> Applicare i calcoli per determinare il contributo di ciascun fattore &quot;X&quot; per gli effetti di migrazione e invasione. </li></ol>

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The authors have nothing to disclose.

Metastasi tumorali è un processo a più fasi. Le cellule devono attraversare la membrana basale, intravasate in nessuna delle due il sistema linfatico o di sangue microvasi, in cui sono trasportati in siti distanti. Le cellule tumorali quindi stravaso e colonizzano in un macrometastasis 12. La progressione attraverso l&#39;epitelio di transizione mesenchimale (EMT), invasione tumorale, e metastasi è stato migliorato dagli ormoni steroidei 13,14, fattori di crescita 15-18, e 19-21<...

Un test invasione romanzo è stato sviluppato con l&#39;obiettivo di individuare il coinvolgimento di specifici ormoni, citochine e / o fattori di crescita come fattori chemiotattici di invasione delle cellule del cancro. La capacità delle cellule tumorali di invadere attraverso la matrice extracellulare (ECM) è una caratteristica del fenotipo metastatico 1-3. Camere Invasion sono stati ampiamente utilizzati come strumenti in vitro per studiare l&#39;invasione delle cellule tumorali e la migrazione e possono fornire conoscenze ai meccanismi di in vivo invasione tumorale e metastasi. Le camere sono costituiti da inserti di coltura cellulare cilindrici annidati all&#39;interno dei pozzetti di piastre di coltura cellulare. Le parti inferiori degli inserti sono policarbonato o polistirolo membrane semi-permeabili di dimensioni dei pori definiti. Nel saggio di invasione di serie, le cellule vengono seminate su membrana inserto con siero media liberi e collocati in pozzetti di coltura cellulare che sono pieni di siero o siero-come fattori chemiotattici per set una forza chemoattractive. Questa unità forza cellule di muoversi attraverso la membrana (migrazione) semipermeabile o in alternativa, attraverso un rivestimento di matrice extracellulare (invasione), che possono poi essere colorato con coloranti convenzionali per rilevare e quantificare il numero di cellule. Il numero di cellule viene quindi normalizzato secondo l&#39;entità della migrazione e l&#39;invasione in una linea cellulare non invasivo. Questo metodo consente un investigatore di valutare il potenziale invasivo di tipi cellulari diversi sotto una varietà di condizioni, tra manipolazioni genetiche. Ormoni, citochine e fattori di crescita sono componenti critici di siero e sono sempre più dimostrato di essere associato con la guida del fenotipo invasivo 4. Tuttavia, la natura, il ruolo e la specificità di queste molecole siero chemoattractive a mediare invasione rimangono ancora sfuggente. La sfida rimane per determinare quali fattori specifici nel siero o siero-like chemioattrattanti sono responsabili per la guidal&#39;invasione delle cellule del cancro così come quello che le molecole possono inibire il processo di invasione. In questo rapporto, si descrive un metodo per valutare il potenziale coinvolgimento di ormoni, citochine e / o fattori di crescita presenti nel siero, come molecole guida la chemiotassi e l&#39;invasione delle cellule tumorali. In questo protocollo modificato proposto, carbone strippaggio viene utilizzato per rimuovere ormoni, citochine e fattori di crescita da siero bovino fetale 2% (FBS) per generare 2% carbone spogliato FBS (CS-FBS). Entrambi 2% FBS e 2% CS-FBS sono usati come agenti per impostare la forza chemoattractive di guidare l&#39;invasione delle cellule di cancro. Utilizzando 2% CS-FBS come agente chemoattractive rispetto al normale 2% FBS offre diversi vantaggi tra cui in primo luogo e più prominente, la capacità di studiare il fenotipo cancro invasione nel ridotto / relativa assenza di ormoni, citochine e fattori di crescita. Consente inoltre il ricercatore di valutare se la rimozione collettiva di ormoni, fattori di crescita, e cytokines provoca un aumento o una diminuzione nell&#39;indice invasiva. Il saggio viene quindi progettato per determinare se l&#39;aggiunta di un singolo componente, designato come &quot;X&quot; può inibire, riduzione o aumento o ripristinare l&#39;indice invasivo al suo valore originale (vedi figure 2 e 3). Anche se questo metodo è specifico per raggiungere i livelli fisiologici del componente che viene rimosso dal siero durante carbone strippaggio, va anche notato che il carbone strippaggio può anche compromettere le vie di trasduzione del segnale. Ad esempio, è stato riportato che il carbone strippaggio può diminuire l&#39;attività della fosfatasi alcalina di cellule osteoprogenitrici e indurre adipogenesi attraverso la riduzione di attivatori MAPK 5. Carbone supporti spogliato sono disponibili in commercio e sono basate sul protocollo delineato che combina con carbone destrano e incubate con siero fetale bovino O / N 6. Questo test è stato sviluppato in RESPONSE ad un risultato riportato da Zucker et al. 7 Gli autori hanno dimostrato che un fenotipo mutante colpisce comunicazione gap junction dimostrato un aumento dell&#39;indice di invasione durante la migrazione verso media con normale 2% FBS. Tale aumento è stato eliminato con la sostituzione di siero carbone-spogliato. Da questo risultato, gli autori hanno concluso che la migrazione interessato mutante verso una molecola lipofila (più specificamente, un ormone, fattore di crescita o citochine) 7. È ben noto che gli ormoni, fattori di crescita e citochine mediano vie di segnalazione coinvolte nella promozione del tumore e l&#39;invasione 4. Pertanto, è importante per gli investigatori scientifici per determinare quale fattore (s) stanno guidando l&#39;invasione tumorale dei loro particolari cellule tumorali o mutanti sotto studio. Il saggio è progettato per affrontare il ruolo dei singoli componenti al loro concentrazioni fisiologiche come determinato in base alla differenza tra la concentrazione del componente &amp;# 8220; X &quot;in normale FBS e il CS-FBS. Attraverso lo sviluppo di questo test, i ricercatori possono ottenere un quadro più chiaro il percorso invasivo specifica che disciplina il loro sistema. Ormoni, fattori di crescita e citochine sono stati spesso classificati come promotori tumorali 8. Alcuni di questi fattori come EGF sono utilizzati come fonti dirette per chemioattrattanti in camere invasione 9. Così, sembra probabile che questi rappresentano i principali componenti del siero che invasione tumorale diretta. Questo protocollo propone una semplice, ma significativa, modifica convenzionale vitro invasione test in cui consente un investigatore di valutare il coinvolgimento di ormoni, fattori di crescita e citochine nel mediare il potenziale invasivo delle cellule tumorali. Tuttavia, il saggio è progettato per fornire il ricercatore una risposta se il procedimento sarà efficace per il loro studio in un primo passo nell&#39;analisi, per non usare tempo prezioso e risorse se ritenute inutili. Questo metodo utilizza CS-FBS e si basa sulla discrezionalità investigatori su quale molecole di perseguire come candidati di piombo che potenzialmente mediano invasione delle cellule di cancro. I risultati di queste analisi dovrebbero rivelarsi utili per individuare quali componenti del siero servono come fattori chemiotattici o inibitori per la particolare linea cellulare o mutante in fase di studio. Inoltre, questo approccio può aiutare il ricercatore a identificare vie di segnalazione chiave o che promuovono o inibiscono l&#39;invasione delle cellule di cancro; indirizzando in tal modo il futuro sviluppo di farmaci.

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="987">
	<tbody>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;width:367px;">Item</td>
			<td style="width:195px;">Vendor</td>
			<td style="width:136px;">Catalog #</td>
			<td style="width:289px;">Comments/Description</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="42">
			<td>BioCoat Control Inserts with 8.0&#181;m PET Membrane 
			(12 in each of two 24-Well Plates)</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>354578</td>
			<td>polyethylene teraphthalate (PET) membranes&#160;&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">Collagen I, rat tail</td>
			<td>Corning</td>
			<td>354236</td>
			<td>Source = rat tail tendon, purity = 90%</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">Fixative; Diff-Quick</td>
			<td>Thermo Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>NC9844047</td>
			<td>Methanol-based fixative, Hmatoxylin/Eosin</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">Fetal bovine Serum</td>
			<td>Life Technologies</td>
			<td>16000</td>
			<td>Designated as FBS</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">Charcoal Stripped Fetal Bovine Serum</td>
			<td>Life Technologies</td>
			<td>12676</td>
			<td>Designated as CS-FBS</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">Fetal bovine Serum</td>
			<td>Thermo Scientific Hyclone</td>
			<td>SH30070</td>
			<td>Designated as FBS</td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;">Charcoal Stripped Fetal Bovine Serum</td>
			<td>Thermo Scientific Hyclone</td>
			<td>SH30068</td>
			<td>Designated as CS-FBS</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

a modified in vitro invasion assay to determine the potential role of hormones, cytokines and/or growth factors in mediating cancer cell invasion

Siero del sangue funge da chemoattractant verso il quale le cellule tumorali migrano e invadono, facilitando il loro intravasation in microvasi. Tuttavia, le molecole reali verso cui le cellule migrano rimangono sfuggente. Questo test invasione modificato è stato sviluppato per identificare gli obiettivi che guidano la migrazione delle cellule e l&#39;invasione. Questa tecnica confronta l&#39;indice invasione in tre condizioni per determinare se un ormone specifico, fattore di crescita, citochine o gioca un ruolo nel mediare il potenziale invasivo di una cellula tumorale. Queste condizioni includono i) normale siero fetale bovino (FBS), ii), carbone-spogliato FBS (CS-FBS), che rimuove gli ormoni, fattori di crescita e citochine e iii) CS-FBS + molecola (denotato &quot;X&quot;). Un cambiamento significativo nella invasione delle cellule con CS-FBS rispetto al FBS, indica il coinvolgimento di ormoni, citochine e fattori di crescita nel mediare il cambiamento. Molecole individuali possono essere aggiunti nuovamente al CS-FBS per saggiare la capacità di riversetto o salvare il fenotipo invasione. Inoltre, due o più fattori possono essere combinati per valutare la effetti additivi o sinergici di più molecole in guida o inibire l&#39;invasione. In generale, questo metodo consente al ricercatore di determinare se ormoni, citochine e / o fattori di crescita svolgono un ruolo nella invasione delle cellule servendo come fattori chemiotattici o inibitori di invasione per un particolare tipo di cellula tumorale o un mutante specifica. Identificando chemioattrattanti e inibitori specifici, questo test invasione modificato può aiutare a chiarire vie di segnalazione che dirigono l&#39;invasione delle cellule tumorali.

L&#39;indice di invasione viene calcolato per ogni condizione secondo la normalizzazione di una linea cellulare non invasivo. Per i nostri esperimenti, utilizziamo la linea cellulare di melanoma 1205Lu e linee cellulari stabili varianti affermata come nostre linee invasive nonché la variante non invasivo premaligne, WM793 da cui le cellule sono state derivate 1205Lu 10 che serve da controllo logica. Utilizziamo anche il collagene I come la matrice invasione perché è la componente primaria del derma. Ciò ?...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about A Modified In vitro Invasion Assay to Determine the Potential Role of Hormones, Cytokines and/or Growth Factors in Mediating Cancer Cell Invasion at JoVE.com

A Modified In vitro Invasion Assay to Determine the Potential Role of Hormones, Cytokines and/or Growth Factors in Mediating Cancer Cell Invasion

This video article describes a modified in vitro method to examine the role of hormones, cytokines and/or growth factors in driving cancer cell invasion.

A Modified<em&gt; In vitro</em&gt; Invasion test per determinare il ruolo potenziale di ormoni, citochine e / o fattori di crescita nella mediazione Cancer Invasion cellulare

Blood serum serves as a chemoattractant towards which cancer cells migrate and invade, facilitating their intravasation into microvessels. However, the ...

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Research

JoVE Journal

Medicine

A Modified In vitro Invasion Assay to Determine the Potential Role of Hormones, Cytokines and/or Growth Factors in Mediating Cancer Cell Invasion

10.6K Views.  Roswell Park Cancer Institute. This video article describes a modified in vitro method to examine the role of hormones, cytokines and/or growth factors in driving cancer cell invasion.

Video: A Modified In vitro Invasion Assay to Determine the Potential Role of Hormones, Cytokines and/or Growth Factors in Mediating Cancer Cell Invasion

A Real-time Electrical Impedance Based Technique to Measure Invasion of Endothelial Cell Monolayer by Cancer Cells

Metastatic dissemination of malignant cells requires degradation of basement membrane, attachment of tumor cells to vascular endothelium, retraction of endothelial junctions and finally invasion and migration of tumor cells through the endothelial layer to enter the bloodstream as a means of transport to distant sites in the host1-3. Once in the circulatory system, cancer cells adhere to capillary walls and extravasate to the surrounding tissue to form metastatic tumors4,5. The various components of tumor cell-endothelial cell interaction can be replicated in vitro by challenging a monolayer of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) with cancer cells. Studies performed with electron and phase-contrast microscopy suggest that the in vitro sequence of events fairly represent the in vivo metastatic process6. Here, we describe an electrical-impedance based technique that monitors and quantifies in real-time the invasion of endothelial cells by malignant tumor cells.
Giaever and Keese first described a technique for measuring fluctuations in impedance when a population of cells grow on the surface of electrodes7,8. The xCELLigence instrument, manufactured by Roche, utilizes a similar technique to measure changes in electrical impedance as cells attach and spread in a culture dish covered with a gold microelectrode array that covers approximately 80% of the area on the bottom of a well. As cells attach and spread on the electrode surface, it leads to an increase in electrical impedance9-12. The impedance is displayed as a dimensionless parameter termed cell-index, which is directly proportional to the total area of tissue-culture well that is covered by cells. Hence, the cell-index can be used to monitor cell adhesion, spreading, morphology and cell density.
The invasion assay described in this article is based on changes in electrical impedance at the electrode/cell interphase, as a population of malignant cells invade through a HUVEC monolayer (Figure 1). The disruption of endothelial junctions, retraction of endothelial monolayer and replacement by tumor cells lead to large changes in impedance. These changes directly correlate with the invasive capacity of tumor cells, i.e., invasion by highly aggressive cells lead to large changes in cell impedance and vice versa. This technique provides a two-fold advantage over existing methods of measuring invasion, such as boyden chamber and matrigel assays: 1) the endothelial cell-tumor cell interaction more closely mimics the in vivo process, and 2) the data is obtained in real-time and is more easily quantifiable, as opposed to end-point analysis for other methods.

This article describes an in vitro technique for monitoring cancer cells invading through a monolayer of endothelial cells. The data is acquired in real-time as a function of changes in impedance on the surface of electrodes at the well bottom.

Un tempo reale impedenza elettrica tecnica basata su Misura Invasione di cellule endoteliali monostrato dalle cellule tumorali

Metastatic dissemination of malignant cells requires degradation of basement membrane, attachment of tumor cells to vascular endothelium, retraction of ...

Ricerca

Medicina

An In Vitro System to Study Tumor Dormancy and the Switch to Metastatic Growth

Recurrence of breast cancer often follows a long latent period in which there are no signs of cancer, and metastases may not become clinically apparent until many years after removal of the primary tumor and adjuvant therapy. A likely explanation of this phenomenon is that tumor cells have seeded metastatic sites, are resistant to conventional therapies, and remain dormant for long periods of time 1-4.
The existence of dormant cancer cells at secondary sites has been described previously as quiescent solitary cells that neither proliferate nor undergo apoptosis 5-7. Moreover, these solitary cells has been shown to disseminate from the primary tumor at an early stage of disease progression 8-10 and reside growth-arrested in the patients' bone marrow, blood and lymph nodes 1,4,11. Therefore, understanding mechanisms that regulate dormancy or the switch to a proliferative state is critical for discovering novel targets and interventions to prevent disease recurrence. However, unraveling the mechanisms regulating the switch from tumor dormancy to metastatic growth has been hampered by the lack of available model systems.
in vivo and ex vivo model systems to study metastatic progression of tumor cells have been described previously 1,12-14. However these model systems have not provided in real time and in a high throughput manner mechanistic insights into what triggers the emergence of solitary dormant tumor cells to proliferate as metastatic disease. We have recently developed a 3D in vitro system to model the in vivo growth characteristics of cells that exhibit either dormant (D2.OR, MCF7, K7M2-AS.46) or proliferative (D2A1, MDA-MB-231, K7M2) metastatic behavior in vivo . We demonstrated that tumor cells that exhibit dormancy in vivo at a metastatic site remain quiescent when cultured in a 3-dimension (3D) basement membrane extract (BME), whereas cells highly metastatic in vivo readily proliferate in 3D culture after variable, but relatively short periods of quiescence. Importantly by utilizing the 3D in vitro model system we demonstrated for the first time that the ECM composition plays an important role in regulating whether dormant tumor cells will switch to a proliferative state and have confirmed this in in vivo studies15-17. Hence, the model system described in this report provides an in vitro method to model tumor dormancy and study the transition to proliferative growth induced by the microenvironment.

An In Vitro System to Study Tumor Dormancy and the Switch to Metastatic Growth

A modified 3-D in vitro system is presented in which growth characteristics of several tumor cell lines in reconstituted basement membrane correlate with the dormant or proliferative behavior of the tumor cells at a metastatic secondary site in vivo.

Un In Vitro Sistema per studio dormienza tumorale e l&#39;interruttore di crescita metastatica

Recurrence of breast cancer often follows a long latent period in which there are no signs of cancer, and metastases may not become clinically apparent ...

Multi-photon Imaging of Tumor Cell Invasion in an Orthotopic Mouse Model of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Loco-regional invasion of head and neck cancer is linked to metastatic risk and presents a difficult challenge in designing and implementing patient management strategies. Orthotopic mouse models of oral cancer have been developed to facilitate the study of factors that impact invasion and serve as model system for evaluating anti-tumor therapeutics. In these systems, visualization of disseminated tumor cells within oral cavity tissues has typically been conducted by either conventional histology or with in vivo bioluminescent methods. A primary drawback of these techniques is the inherent inability to accurately visualize and quantify early tumor cell invasion arising from the primary site in three dimensions. Here we describe a protocol that combines an established model for squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue (SCOT) with two-photon imaging to allow multi-vectorial visualization of lingual tumor spread. The OSC-19 head and neck tumor cell line was stably engineered to express the F-actin binding peptide LifeAct fused to the mCherry fluorescent protein (LifeAct-mCherry). Fox1nu/nu mice injected with these cells reliably form tumors that allow the tongue to be visualized by ex-vivo application of two-photon microscopy. This technique allows for the orthotopic visualization of the tumor mass and locally invading cells in excised tongues without disruption of the regional tumor microenvironment. In addition, this system allows for the quantification of tumor cell invasion by calculating distances that invaded cells move from the primary tumor site. Overall this procedure provides an enhanced model system for analyzing factors that contribute to SCOT invasion and therapeutic treatments tailored to prevent local invasion and distant metastatic spread. This method also has the potential to be ultimately combined with other imaging modalities in an in vivo setting.

A comprehensive overview of the techniques involved in generating a mouse model of oral cancer and quantitative monitoring of tumor invasion within the tongue through multi-photon microscopy of labeled cells is presented. This system can serve as a useful platform for the molecular assessment and drug efficacy of anti-invasive compounds.

Multi-fotone Imaging di invasione delle cellule tumorali in un modello di mouse ortotopico di carcinoma orale a cellule squamose

Loco-regional invasion of head and neck cancer is linked to metastatic risk and presents a difficult challenge in designing and implementing patient ...

Spheroid Assay to Measure TGF-&#946;-induced Invasion

TGF-&beta; has opposing roles in breast cancer progression by acting as a tumor suppressor in the initial phase, but stimulating invasion and metastasis at later stage1,2. Moreover, TGF-&beta; is frequently overexpressed in breast cancer and its expression correlates with poor prognosis and metastasis 3,4. The mechanisms by which TGF-&beta; induces invasion are not well understood.
TGF-&beta; elicits its cellular responses via TGF-&beta; type II (T&beta;RII) and type I (T&beta;RI) receptors. Upon TGF-&beta;-induced heteromeric complex formation, T&beta;RII phosphorylates the T&beta;RI. The activated T&beta;RI initiates its intracellular canonical signaling pathway by phosphorylating receptor Smads (R-Smads), i.e. Smad2 and Smad3. These activated R-Smads form heteromeric complexes with Smad4, which accumulate in the nucleus and regulate the transcription of target genes5. In addition to the previously described Smad pathway, receptor activation results in activation of several other non-Smad signaling pathways, for example Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase (MAPK) pathways6.
To study the role of TGF-&beta; in different stages of breast cancer, we made use of the MCF10A cell system. This system consists of spontaneously immortalized MCF10A1 (M1) breast epithelial cells7, the H-RAS transformed M1-derivative MCF10AneoT (M2), which produces premalignant lesions in mice8, and the M2-derivative MCF10CA1a (M4), which was established from M2 xenografts and forms high grade carcinomas with the ability to metastasize to the lung9. This MCF10A series offers the possibility to study the responses of cells with different grades of malignancy that are not biased by a different genetic background.
For the analysis of TGF-&beta;-induced invasion, we generated homotypic MCF10A spheroid cell cultures embedded in a 3D collagen matrix in vitro (Fig 1). Such models closely resemble human tumors in vivo by establishing a gradient of oxygen and nutrients, resulting in active and invasive cells on the outside and quiescent or even necrotic cells in the inside of the spheroid10. Spheroid based assays have also been shown to better recapitulate drug resistance than monolayer cultures11. This MCF10 3D model system allowed us to investigate the impact of TGF-&beta; signaling on the invasive properties of breast cells in different stages of malignancy.

Spheroid Assay to Measure TGF-&amp;#946;-induced Invasion

An assay to quantitatively measure Transforming Growth Factor (TGF)-&#x03B2;-induced invasion in 3-dimensional collagen gels is described. This assay takes advantage of the MCF10A series of cell lines, which represent different stages of breast cancer development. This method can be adopted to be used with other cell lines and might be used to investigate other potential activators or inhibitors of invasion.

Saggio sferoide Misura TGF-β-indotta Invasion

TGF-&beta; has opposing roles in breast cancer progression by acting as a tumor suppressor in the initial phase, but stimulating invasion and metastasis ...

Modeling and Imaging 3-Dimensional Collective Cell Invasion

A defining characteristic of cancer malignancy is invasion and metastasis 1. In some cancers (e.g. glioma 2), local invasion into surrounding healthy tissue is the root cause of disease and death. For other cancers (e.g. breast, lung, etc.), it is the process of metastasis, in which tumor cells move from a primary tumor mass, colonize distal sites and ultimately contribute to organ failure, that eventually leads to morbidity and mortality 3. It has been estimated that invasion and metastasis are responsible for 90&#37; of cancer deaths 4. As a result, there has been intense interest in identifying the molecular processes and critical protein mediators of invasion and metastasis for the purposes of improving diagnosis and treatment 5.
A challenge for cancer scientists is to develop invasion assays that sufficiently resemble the in vivo situation to enable accurate disease modeling 6. Two-dimensional cell motility assays are only informative about one aspect of invasion and do not take into account extracellular matrix (ECM) protein remodeling which is also a critical element. Recently, research has refined our understanding of tumor cell invasion and revealed that individual cells may move by elongated or rounded modes 7. In addition, there has been greater appreciation of the contribution of collective invasion, in which cells invade in strands, sheets and clusters, particularly in highly differentiated tumors that maintain epithelial characteristics, to the spread of cancer 8.
We present a refined method 9 for examining the contributions of candidate proteins to collective invasion 10. In particular, by engineering separate pools of cells to express different fluorescent proteins, it is possible to molecularly dissect the activities and proteins required in leading cells versus those required in following cells. The use of RNAi provides the molecular tool to experimentally disassemble the processes involved in individual cell invasion as well as in different positions of collective invasion. In this procedure, mixtures of fluorescently-labeled cells are plated on the bottom of a Transwell insert previously filled with Matrigel ECM protein, then allowed to invade "upwards" through the filter and into the Matrigel. Reconstruction of z-series image stacks, obtained by confocal imaging, into three-dimensional representations allows for visualization of collectively invading strands and analysis of the representation of fluorescently-labeled cells in leading versus following positions.

Models of tumor cell invasion into three-dimensional extracellular matrix better reflect the in vivo situation than two-dimensional motility assays. Using matrix invasion assays combined with confocal imaging of fluorescently-labeled cells, detailed information on invasion modes and the distinct contributions of leading versus following cells can be obtained.

Modellazione e imaging 3-Dimensional Invasion cella Collettiva

A defining characteristic of cancer malignancy is invasion and metastasis 1. In some cancers (e.g. glioma 2), local invasion into surrounding healthy ...

In vitro Mesothelial Clearance Assay that Models the Early Steps of Ovarian Cancer Metastasis

Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer related deaths in the United States1. Despite a positive initial response to therapies, 70 to 90 percent of women with ovarian cancer develop new metastases, and the recurrence is often fatal2. It is, therefore, necessary to understand how secondary metastases arise in order to develop better treatments for intermediate and late stage ovarian cancer. Ovarian cancer metastasis occurs when malignant cells detach from the primary tumor site and disseminate throughout the peritoneal cavity. The disseminated cells can form multicellular clusters, or spheroids, that will either remain unattached, or implant onto organs within the peritoneal cavity3 (Figure 1, Movie 1). 
All of the organs within the peritoneal cavity are lined with a single, continuous, layer of mesothelial cells4-6 (Figure 2). However, mesothelial cells are absent from underneath peritoneal tumor masses, as revealed by electron micrograph studies of excised human tumor tissue sections3,5-7 (Figure 2). This suggests that mesothelial cells are excluded from underneath the tumor mass by an unknown process. 
Previous in vitro experiments demonstrated that primary ovarian cancer cells attach more efficiently to extracellular matrix than to mesothelial cells8, and more recent studies showed that primary peritoneal mesothelial cells actually provide a barrier to ovarian cancer cell adhesion and invasion (as compared to adhesion and invasion on substrates that were not covered with mesothelial cells)9,10. This would suggest that mesothelial cells act as a barrier against ovarian cancer metastasis. The cellular and molecular mechanisms by which ovarian cancer cells breach this barrier, and exclude the mesothelium have, until recently, remained unknown. 
Here we describe the methodology for an in vitro assay that models the interaction between ovarian cancer cell spheroids and mesothelial cells in vivo (Figure 3, Movie 2). Our protocol was adapted from previously described methods for analyzing ovarian tumor cell interactions with mesothelial monolayers8-16, and was first described in a report showing that ovarian tumor cells utilize an integrin &#x2013;dependent activation of myosin and traction force to promote the exclusion of the mesothelial cells from under a tumor spheroid17. This model takes advantage of time-lapse fluorescence microscopy to monitor the two cell populations in real time, providing spatial and temporal information on the interaction. The ovarian cancer cells express red fluorescent protein (RFP) while the mesothelial cells express green fluorescent protein (GFP). RFP-expressing ovarian cancer cell spheroids attach to the GFP-expressing mesothelial monolayer. The spheroids spread, invade, and force the mesothelial cells aside creating a hole in the monolayer. This hole is visualized as the negative space (black) in the GFP image. The area of the hole can then be measured to quantitatively analyze differences in clearance activity between control and experimental populations of ovarian cancer and/ or mesothelial cells. This assay requires only a small number of ovarian cancer cells (100 cells per spheroid X 20-30 spheroids per condition), so it is feasible to perform this assay using precious primary tumor cell samples. Furthermore, this assay can be easily adapted for high throughput screening.

In vitro Mesothelial Clearance Assay that Models the Early Steps of Ovarian Cancer Metastasis

The mesothelial clearance assay described here takes advantage of fluorescently labeled cells and time-lapse video microscopy to visualize and quantitatively measure the interactions of ovarian cancer multicellular spheroids and mesothelial cell monolayers. This assay models the early steps of ovarian cancer metastasis.

In vitro test Clearance mesoteliali che modella i primi passi di metastasi del cancro ovarico

Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer related deaths in the United States1. Despite a positive initial response to therapies, 70 to 90 ...

Assessment of Ovarian Cancer Spheroid Attachment and Invasion of Mesothelial Cells in Real Time

Ovarian cancers metastasize by shedding into the peritoneal fluid and dispersing to distal sites within the peritoneum. Monolayer cultures do not accurately model the behaviors of cancer cells within a nonadherent environment, as cancer cells inherently aggregate into multicellular structures which contribute to the metastatic process by attaching to and invading the peritoneal lining to form secondary tumors. To model this important stage of ovarian cancer metastasis, multicellular aggregates, or spheroids, can be generated from established ovarian cancer cell lines maintained under nonadherent conditions. To mimic the peritoneal microenvironment encountered by tumor cells in vivo, a spheroid-mesothelial co-culture model was established in which preformed spheroids are plated on top of a human mesothelial cell monolayer, formed over an extracellular matrix barrier. Methods were then developed using a real-time cell analyzer to conduct quantitative real time measurements of the invasive capacity of different ovarian cancer cell lines grown as spheroids. This approach allows for the continuous measurement of invasion over long periods of time, which has several advantages over traditional endpoint assays and more laborious real time microscopy image analyses. In short, this method enables a rapid, determination of factors which regulate the interactions between ovarian cancer spheroid cells invading through mesothelial and matrix barriers over time.

Ovarian cancer cell invasion into the mesothelial lining of the peritoneum is a dynamic process over time. Utilizing a real time analyzer, the invasive capacity of ovarian cancer cells in a spheroid-mesothelial cell co-culture model can be quantified over prolonged time periods, providing insights into factors regulating the metastatic process.

Valutazione del cancro ovarico Spheroid attaccamento e l&#39;invasione delle cellule mesoteliali in tempo reale

Ovarian cancers metastasize by shedding into the peritoneal fluid and dispersing to distal sites within the peritoneum. Monolayer cultures do not ...

Focus Formation: A Cell-based Assay to Determine the Oncogenic Potential of a Gene

Malignant transformation of cells is typically associated with increased proliferation, loss of contact inhibition, acquisition of anchorage-independent growth potential, and the ability to form tumors in experimental animals1. In NIH 3T3 cells, the Ras signal transduction pathway is known to trigger many of these events, what is known as Ras transformation. The introduction of an overexpressed gene in NIH 3T3 cells may promote morphological transformation and loss of contact inhibition, which can help determine the oncogenic potential of that gene of interest. An assay that provides a straightforward method to assess one aspect of the transforming potential of an oncogene is the Focus Formation Assay (FFA)2. When NIH 3T3 cells divide normally in culture, they do so until they reach a confluent monolayer. However, in the presence of an overexpressed oncogene, these cells can begin to grow in dense, multilayered foci1 that can be visualized and quantified by crystal violet or Hema 3 staining. In this article we describe the FFA protocol with retroviral transduction of the gene of interest into NIH 3T3 cells, and how to quantify the number of foci through staining. Retroviral transduction offers a more efficient method of gene delivery than transfection, and the use of an ecotropic murine retrovirus provides a biosafety control when working with potential human oncogenes.

The Focus Formation Assay provides a straightforward method to assess the transforming potential of a candidate oncogene.

Concentrarsi Formazione: Un test cellulare per determinare il potenziale oncogeno di un gene

Malignant transformation of cells is typically associated with increased proliferation, loss of contact inhibition, acquisition of anchorage-independent ...

Establishment of a Human Multiple Myeloma Xenograft Model in the Chicken to Study Tumor Growth, Invasion and Angiogenesis

Multiple myeloma (MM), a malignant plasma cell disease, remains incurable and novel drugs are required to improve the prognosis of patients. Due to the lack of the bone microenvironment and auto/paracrine growth factors human MM cells are difficult to cultivate. Therefore, there is an urgent need to establish proper in vitro and in vivo culture systems to study the action of novel therapeutics on human MM cells. Here we present a model to grow human multiple myeloma cells in a complex 3D environment in vitro and in vivo. MM cell lines OPM-2 and RPMI-8226 were transfected to express the transgene GFP and were cultivated in the presence of human mesenchymal cells and collagen type-I matrix as three-dimensional spheroids. In addition, spheroids were grafted on the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) of chicken embryos and tumor growth was monitored by stereo fluorescence microscopy. Both models allow the study of novel therapeutic drugs in a complex 3D environment and the quantification of the tumor cell mass after homogenization of grafts in a transgene-specific GFP-ELISA. Moreover, angiogenic responses of the host and invasion of tumor cells into the subjacent host tissue can be monitored daily by a stereo microscope and analyzed by immunohistochemical staining against human tumor cells (Ki-67, CD138, Vimentin) or host mural cells covering blood vessels (desmin/ASMA).
In conclusion, the onplant system allows studying MM cell growth and angiogenesis in a complex 3D environment and enables screening for novel therapeutic compounds targeting survival and proliferation of MM cells.

Human multiple myeloma (MM) cells require the supportive microenvironment of mesenchymal cells and extracellular matrix components for survival and proliferation. We established an in vivo chicken embryo model with engrafted human myeloma and mesenchymal cells to study effects of cancer drugs on tumor growth, invasion and angiogenesis.

Istituzione di un mieloma multiplo umano Xenograft modello nel pollo per studiare la crescita del tumore, invasione e l&#39;angiogenesi

Multiple myeloma (MM), a malignant plasma cell disease, remains incurable and novel drugs are required to improve the prognosis of patients. Due to the ...

Three-Dimensional (3D) Tumor Spheroid Invasion Assay

Invasion of surrounding normal tissues is generally considered to be a key hallmark of malignant (as opposed to benign) tumors. For some cancers in particular (e.g., brain tumors such as glioblastoma multiforme and squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck &#8211; SCCHN) it is a cause of severe morbidity and can be life-threatening even in the absence of distant metastases. In addition, cancers which have relapsed following treatment unfortunately often present with a more aggressive phenotype. Therefore, there is an opportunity to target the process of invasion to provide novel therapies that could be complementary to standard anti-proliferative agents. Until now, this strategy has been hampered by the lack of robust, reproducible assays suitable for a detailed analysis of invasion and for drug screening. Here we provide a simple micro-plate method (based on uniform, self-assembling 3D tumor spheroids) which has great potential for such studies. We exemplify the assay platform using a human glioblastoma cell line and also an SCCHN model where the development of resistance against targeted epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitors is associated with enhanced matrix-invasive potential. We also provide two alternative methods of semi-automated quantification: one using an imaging cytometer and a second which simply requires standard microscopy and image capture with digital image analysis.

Three-Dimensional 3D Tumor Spheroid Invasion Assay

Invasion of surrounding normal tissues is a defining characteristic of malignant tumors. We provide here a simple, semi-automated micro-plate assay of invasion into a natural 3D biomatrix that has been exemplified with a number of models of advanced human cancers.

Tridimensionale (3D) Tumore Spheroid Invasion Assay

Invasion of surrounding normal tissues is generally considered to be a key hallmark of malignant (as opposed to benign) tumors. For some cancers in ...