Differentiation of Col I and Col III isoforms in stromal models of ovarian cancer by analysis of second harmonic generation polarization and emission directionality.

ABSTRACT: A profound remodeling of the extracellular matrix occurs in many epithelial cancers. In ovarian cancer, the minor collagen isoform of Col III becomes upregulated in invasive disease. Here we use second harmonic generation (SHG) imaging microscopy to probe structural differences in fibrillar models of the ovarian stroma comprised of mixtures of Col I and III. The SHG intensity and forward-backward ratios decrease with increasing Col III content, consistent with decreased phasematching due to more randomized structures. We further probe the net collagen α-helix pitch angle within the gel mixtures using what is believed to be a new pixel-based polarization-resolved approach that combines and extends previous analyses. The extracted pitch angles are consistent with those of peptide models and

SUBMITTER: Tilbury K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3907237 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature