A Modified In vitro Invasion Assay to Determine the Potential Role of Hormones, Cytokines and/or Growth Factors in Mediating Cancer Cell Invasion.
Blood serum serves as a chemoattractant towards which cancer cells migrate and invade, facilitating their intravasation into microvessels. However, the actual molecules towards which the cells migrate remain elusive. This modified invasion assay has been developed to identify targets which drive cell migration and invasion. This technique compares the invasion index under three conditions to determine whether a specific hormone, growth factor, or cytokine plays a role in mediating the invasive potential of a cancer cell. These conditions include i) normal fetal bovine serum (FBS), ii) charcoal-stripped FBS (CS-FBS), which removes hormones, growth factors, and cytokines and iii) CS-FBS + molecule (denoted "X"). A significant change in cell invasion with CS-FBS as compared to FBS, indicates the involvement of hormones, cytokines or growth factors in mediating the change. Individual molecules can then be added back to CS-FBS to assay their ability to reverse or rescue the invasion phenotype. Furthermore, two or more factors can be combined to evaluate the additive or synergistic effects of multiple molecules in driving or inhibiting invasion. Overall, this method enables the investigator to determine whether hormones, cytokines, and/or growth factors play a role in cell invasion by serving as chemoattractants or inhibitors of invasion for a particular type of cancer cell or a specific mutant. By identifying specific chemoattractants and inhibitors, this modified invasion assay may help to elucidate signaling pathways that direct cancer cell invasion.
Department of Cell Stress Biology, Roswell Park Cancer Institute.
Archis
A
Bagati
Department of Pharmaceutical, Social and Administrative Sciences, School of Pharmacy, D'Youville College.
Zethan
Z
Koch
Department of Pharmaceutical, Social and Administrative Sciences, School of Pharmacy, D'Youville College.
Diane
D
Bofinger
Department of Pharmaceutical, Social and Administrative Sciences, School of Pharmacy, D'Youville College.
Haneesha
H
Goli
Department of Pharmaceutical, Social and Administrative Sciences, School of Pharmacy, D'Youville College.
Laura S
LS
Weiss
Department of Pharmaceutical, Social and Administrative Sciences, School of Pharmacy, D'Youville College.
Rosie
R
Dau
Department of Pharmaceutical, Social and Administrative Sciences, School of Pharmacy, D'Youville College.
Megha
M
Thomas
Department of Pharmaceutical, Social and Administrative Sciences, School of Pharmacy, D'Youville College; zucker@dyc.edu.
Shoshanna N
SN
Zucker
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology; D003470:Culture Media; D016207:Cytokines / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*; D006728:Hormones / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*
D003470:Culture Media; D016207:Cytokines; D006728:Hormones; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins