title: Development of a method to isolate circulating tumor cells using mesenchymal-based capture.
abstract: Epithelial tumor cells can become mesenchymal cells and vice versa via phenotypic transitions, a process known as epithelial plasticity. We postulate that during the process of metastasis, circulating tumor cells (CTCs) lose their epithelial phenotype and acquire a mesenchymal phenotype that may not be sufficiently captured by existing epithelial-based CTC technologies. We report here on the development of a novel CTC capture method, based on the biology of epithelial plasticity, which isolates cells based on OB-cadherin cell surface expression. Using this mesenchymal-based assay, OB-cadherin cellular events are detectable in men with metastatic prostate cancer and are less common in healthy volunteers. This method may complement existing epithelial-based methods and may be particularly useful in patients with bone metastases.
authors.affiliation: Division of Medical Oncology, Duke Cancer Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States; Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States; Center for RNA Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States.
authors.forename: Rhonda L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Bitting
authors.forename: Rengasamy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Boominathan
authors.forename: Chandra
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rao
authors.forename: Gabor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kemeny
authors.forename: Brad
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Foulk
authors.forename: Mariano A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Garcia-Blanco
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Connelly
authors.forename: Andrew J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Armstrong
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary; D015820:Cadherins / Q000276:immunology; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002469:Cell Separation / Q000379:methods*; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D058750:Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000473:pathology*; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating / Q000473:pathology*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D015820:Cadherins; C086960:osteoblast cadherin
keywords: Circulating tumor cells; Epithelial plasticity; Epithelial–mesenchymal transition; OB-cadherin; Osteomimicry; Prostate cancer