Dataset Information

Human colorectal cancer-on-chip model to study the microenvironmental influence on early metastatic spread.

ABSTRACT: Colorectal cancer (CRC) progression is a complex process that is not well understood. We describe an in vitro organ-on-chip model that emulates in vivo tissue structure and the tumor microenvironment (TME) to better understand intravasation, an early step in metastasis. The CRC-on-chip incorporates fluid flow and peristalsis-like cyclic stretching and consists of endothelial and epithelial compartments, separated by a porous membrane. On-chip imaging and effluent analyses are used to interrogate CRC progression and the resulting cellular heterogeneity. Mass spectrometry-based metabolite profiles are indicative of a CRC disease state. Tumor cells intravasate from the epithelial channel to the endothelial channel, revealing differences in invasion between aggressive and non-aggressive tumor cells. Tuning the TME by peristalsis-like mechanical forces, the epithelial:endothelial interface, and the addition of fibroblasts influences the invasive capabilities of tumor cells. The CRC-on-chip is a tunable human-relevant model system and a valuable tool to study early invasive events in cancer.

SUBMITTER: Strelez C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8169959 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Human colorectal cancer-on-chip model to study the microenvironmental influence on early metastatic spread.

Strelez Carly C Chilakala Sujatha S Ghaffarian Kimya K Lau Roy R Spiller Erin E Ung Nolan N Hixon Danielle D Yoon Ah Young AY Sun Ren X RX Lenz Heinz-Josef HJ Katz Jonathan E JE Mumenthaler Shannon M SM

iScience 20210502 5

Colorectal cancer (CRC) progression is a complex process that is not well understood. We describe an <i>in vitro</i> organ-on-chip model that emulates <i>in vivo</i> tissue structure and the tumor microenvironment (TME) to better understand intravasation, an early step in metastasis. The CRC-on-chip incorporates fluid flow and peristalsis-like cyclic stretching and consists of endothelial and epithelial compartments, separated by a porous membrane. On-chip imaging and effluent analyses are used ...[more]

PMID: 34113836

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Project description:Traditional factors currently used for prognostic stratification do not always adequately predict treatment response and disease evolution in advanced breast cancer patients. Therefore, the use of blood-based markers, such as circulating tumor cells (CTCs), represents a promising complementary strategy for disease monitoring. In this retrospective study, we explored the role of CTC counts as predictors of disease evolution in breast cancer patients with limited metastatic dissemination.A total of 492 advanced breast cancer patients who had a CTC count assessed by CellSearch prior to starting a new line of systemic therapy were eligible for this analysis. Using the threshold of 5 CTCs/7.5 ml of blood, pretreatment CTC counts were correlated in the overall population with metastatic site distribution, evaluated at baseline and at the time of treatment failure, using Fisher's exact test. Time to visceral progression and time to the development of new metastatic lesions and sites were estimated in patients with nonvisceral metastases and with single-site metastatic disease, respectively, by the Kaplan-Meier method. Survival times were compared between groups according to pretreatment CTC count by logrank test.In the overall population, a pretreatment level ?5 CTCs/7.5 ml was associated with an increased baseline number of metastatic sites compared with <5 CTCs/7.5 ml (P?=?0.0077). At the time of treatment failure, patients with ?5 CTCs/7.5 ml more frequently developed new metastatic lesions and sites compared with those with <5 CTCs/7.5 ml (development of new lesions: P?=?0.0002; development of new sites: P?=?0.0031). Among patients with disease originally confined to nonvisceral sites, ?5 CTCs/7.5 ml was associated with remarkably shorter time to visceral metastases (P?=?0.0021) and overall survival (P?=?0.0006) compared with <5 CTCs/7.5 ml. In patients with single-site metastatic disease, ?5 CTCs/7.5 ml was associated with a significant reduction of the time to development of new metastatic sites (P?=?0.0051) and new lesions (P?=?0.0002) and with worse overall survival (P?=?0.0101).Our results suggest that baseline CTC counts can be used as an early predictor of metastatic potential in breast cancer patients with limited metastatic dissemination.

Project description:Besides molecular and phenotypic variations observed in cancer cells, intratumoral heterogeneity also occurs in the tumor microenvironment. Correlative stiffness maps of different intratumor locations in breast tumor biopsies show that stiffness increases from core to periphery. However, how different local ECM stiffness regulates key functions of cancer cells in tumor progression remains unclear. Although increased tissue stiffness is an established driver of breast cancer progression, conclusions from 2D cultures do not correspond with newer data from cancer cells in 3D environments. Many past studies of breast cancer in 3D culture fail to recapitulate the stiffness of a real breast tumor or the various local stiffnesses present in a tumor microenvironment. In this study, we developed a series of collagen/alginate hybrid hydrogels with adjustable stiffness to match the core, middle, and peripheral zones of a breast tumor. We used this hydrogel system to investigate effects of different local stiffness on morphology, proliferation, and migration of breast cancer cells. RNA sequencing of cells in hydrogels with different stiffness revealed changes in multiple cellular processes underlying cancer progression, including angiogenesis and metabolism. We discovered that tumor cells in a soft environment enriched YAP1 and AP1 signaling related genes, whereas tumor cells in a stiff environment became more pro-angiogenic by upregulating fibronectin 1 (FN1) and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) expression. This systematic study defines how the range of environmental stiffnesses present in a breast tumor regulates cancer cells, providing new insights into tumorigenesis and disease progression at the tumor-stroma interface. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Applied a well-defined hybrid hydrogel system to mimic the tumor microenvironment with heterogeneous local stiffness. Breast cancer cells tended to proliferate in soft core environment while migrate in stiff peripheral environment. Breast cancer cells shift from glycolysis to OXPHOS and fatty acid metabolism responding to stiff matrix microenvironment. The transcriptomic profile of breast cancer cells altered due to microenvironmental stiffness changes.

Dataset Information

Human colorectal cancer-on-chip model to study the microenvironmental influence on early metastatic spread.

Publications

Human colorectal cancer-on-chip model to study the microenvironmental influence on early metastatic spread.

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