Leading malignant cells initiate collective epithelial cell invasion in a three-dimensional heterotypic tumor spheroid model.

ABSTRACT: Solid tumors consist of genetically and phenotypically diverse subpopulations of cancer cells with unique capacities for growth, differentiation, and invasion. While the molecular and microenvironmental bases for heterogeneity are increasingly appreciated, the outcomes of such intratumor heterogeneity, particularly in the context of tumor invasion and metastasis, remain poorly understood. To study heterotypic cell-cell interactions and elucidate the biological consequences of intratumor heterogeneity, we developed a tissue-engineered multicellular spheroid (MCS) co-culture model that recapitulates the cellular diversity and fully three-dimensional cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions that characterize human carcinomas. We found that "invasion-competent" malignant cells induced the collec

SUBMITTER: Carey SP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3646083 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature