Cells assemble invadopodia-like structures and invade into matrigel in a matrix metalloprotease dependent manner in the circular invasion assay.
Abstract
The ability of tumor cells to invade is one of the hallmarks of the metastatic phenotype. To elucidate the mechanisms by which tumor cells acquire an invasive phenotype, in vitro assays have been developed that mimic the process of cancer cell invasion through basement membrane or in the stroma. We have extended the characterization of the circular invasion assay and found that it provides a simple and amenable system to study cell invasion in matrix in an environment that closely mimics 3D invasion. Furthermore, it allows detailed microscopic analysis of both live and fixed cells during the invasion process. We find that cells invade in a protease dependent manner in this assay and that they assemble focal adhesions and invadopodia that resemble structures visualized in 3D embedded cells. We propose that this is a useful assay for routine and medium throughput analysis of invasion of cancer cells in vitro and the study of cells migrating in a 3D environment.
References
Invadopodia: specialized tumor cell structures for the focal degradation of the extracellular matrix
Diaphanous-related formins are required for invadopodia formation and invasion of breast tumor cells
Citations
Specific Myosins Control Actin Organization, Cell Morphology, and Migration in Prostate Cancer Cells
RalB regulates contractility-driven cancer dissemination upon TGFβ stimulation via the RhoGEF GEF-H1
Synergy between Rho signaling and matrix density in cyclic stretch-induced stress fiber organization
Genome-wide identification of miR-200 targets reveals a regulatory network controlling cell invasion
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