title: Ring cell migration assay identifies distinct effects of extracellular matrix proteins on cancer cell migration.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Alterations in cell migration are a hallmark of cancer cell invasion and metastasis. In vitro assays commonly used to study cell migration, including the scratch wound healing assay, Boyden chamber assay, and newly developed advanced systems with microfluidics, each have several disadvantages.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Here we describe an easy and cost-effective in vitro assay for cell migration employing cloning rings to create gaps in the cell monolayer ("ring cell migration assay"). The assay was used to quantitate innate differences in cell motility and the effect of various extracellular matrix proteins on migration of five cancer cell lines: U87 and U251N glioma cells, MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cells, and HeLa cervical cancer cells. Interestingly, collagen was a general promoter of cell migration for all five cancer cell lines, without affecting cell proliferation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Taken together, the ring cell migration assay is an easy, convenient and cost-effective assay to study cell migration in vitro.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Division of Experimental Medicine, Department of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal Quebec, Canada. josephine.nalbantoglu@mcgill.ca.
authors.forename: Josephine
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nalbantoglu
mesh_terms: D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D054443:Cell Migration Assays; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000187:drug effects*; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins