title: Imaging exosome transfer from breast cancer cells to stroma at metastatic sites in orthotopic nude-mouse models.
abstract: Exosomes play an important role in cell-to-cell communication to promote tumor metastasis. In order to image the fate of cancer-cell-derived exosomes in orthotopic nude mouse models of breast cancer, we used green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged CD63, which is a general marker of exosomes. Breast cancer cells transferred their own exosomes to other cancer cells and normal lung tissue cells in culture. In orthotopic nude-mouse models, breast cancer cells secreted exosomes into the tumor microenvironment. Tumor-derived exosomes were incorporated into tumor-associated cells as well as circulating in the blood of mice with breast cancer metastases. These results suggest that tumor-derived exosomes may contribute to forming a niche to promote tumor growth and metastasis. Our results demonstrate the usefulness of GFP imaging to investigate the role of exosomes in cancer metastasis.
authors.affiliation: AntiCancer, Inc., San Diego, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Suetsugu
authors.forename: Kimi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Honma
authors.forename: Shigetoyo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Saji
authors.forename: Hisataka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Moriwaki
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ochiya
authors.forename: Robert M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Hoffman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000502:physiology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D055354:Exosomes / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D061848:Optical Imaging; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D059016:Tumor Microenvironment