Project description:Full title: Comprehensive Characterization of Three-Dimensional Models for Prostate Cancer Growth and Invasion in Laminin-rich Extracellular Matrix Prostate Cancer (PrCa) cells undergo acinar morphogenesis and spheroid formation in three-dimensional (3D) culture, supported by laminin-rich extracellular matrix (lrECM, Matrigel). We developed miniaturized 3D model systems that facilitate investigation of morphogenesis and invasion of normal and PrCa cell lines in lrECM. Primary and non-transformed cell lines formed round structures with strong cell-cell contacts and epithelial polarization, lumen and a complete basal lamina (BL). In contrast, most PrCa cell lines formed either defective, “mass” spheroids with incomplete BL, or invasive “stellate” structures. The bioinformatic analyses of genome-wide mRNA expression data revealed massive alteration of key functional and signaling pathways in 3D cultures, with lipid and steroid metabolism, epigenetic reprogramming, and differentiation-related transcription factors induced across all cell lines by lrECM. In invasive cells, AKT, PI3Kinase, mTOR, and hedgehog signaling pathways were most highly activated, validated by small molecule inhibitors compounds specifically targeting key regulatory molecules. Compounds against AKT and PI3kinase pathways were significantly more effective in invasive cells, compared to mass or round/normal phenotype spheroids, and monolayer culture. A severe morphologic conversion was observed in PC-3 and PC-3M cells, transforming initially round, normal-appearing epithelial spheroids into rapidly invading cell masses. Markers for EMT (epithelial-mesenchymal transition) were highly expressed already in early stage, round spheroids prior to invasive conversion, and were not further increased in invasive cells. This indicates that PrCa cells can display extraordinary plasticity. EMT may be involved in providing a metastable genotype that allows morphological transformation, but is not be required for invasive processes themselves. Total RNA was obtained from non-transformed prostate epithelial cells and prostate cancer cells cultured in monolayer and three-dimensional laminin-rich extracellular matrix (growth factor-reduced Matrigel).
Project description:Full title: Comprehensive Characterization of Three-Dimensional Models for Prostate Cancer Growth and Invasion in Laminin-rich Extracellular Matrix Prostate Cancer (PrCa) cells undergo acinar morphogenesis and spheroid formation in three-dimensional (3D) culture, supported by laminin-rich extracellular matrix (lrECM, Matrigel). We developed miniaturized 3D model systems that facilitate investigation of morphogenesis and invasion of normal and PrCa cell lines in lrECM. Primary and non-transformed cell lines formed round structures with strong cell-cell contacts and epithelial polarization, lumen and a complete basal lamina (BL). In contrast, most PrCa cell lines formed either defective, “mass” spheroids with incomplete BL, or invasive “stellate” structures. The bioinformatic analyses of genome-wide mRNA expression data revealed massive alteration of key functional and signaling pathways in 3D cultures, with lipid and steroid metabolism, epigenetic reprogramming, and differentiation-related transcription factors induced across all cell lines by lrECM. In invasive cells, AKT, PI3Kinase, mTOR, and hedgehog signaling pathways were most highly activated, validated by small molecule inhibitors compounds specifically targeting key regulatory molecules. Compounds against AKT and PI3kinase pathways were significantly more effective in invasive cells, compared to mass or round/normal phenotype spheroids, and monolayer culture. A severe morphologic conversion was observed in PC-3 and PC-3M cells, transforming initially round, normal-appearing epithelial spheroids into rapidly invading cell masses. Markers for EMT (epithelial-mesenchymal transition) were highly expressed already in early stage, round spheroids prior to invasive conversion, and were not further increased in invasive cells. This indicates that PrCa cells can display extraordinary plasticity. EMT may be involved in providing a metastable genotype that allows morphological transformation, but is not be required for invasive processes themselves.
Project description:Tumor cell response to irradiation also depends on their microenvironment. Therefore ongoing investigation of three-dimensional (3D) cell culture models provide researchers with essential data studying and remodeling radiotherapeutic implications in cancer treatment. 3D culture models were shown to mimic in vivo cell microenvironment more accurately than the standard two-dimensional cell monolayer (2D) cultures. Growing evidence suggests that 2D and 3D cultured cell gene expression pattern discrepancies following irradiation is highly dependent on cell-ECM interactions. It has been shown that laminin-rich-extracellular matrix (lr-ECM) used in 3D cultures not only alters cancer cell phenotype and response to external stimuli but also affects their differentiation, migration and survivability. Thus, a change in these fundamental cell properties demands us to reconsider data previously collected using 2D in vitro models. RNA was harvested from two colorectal cancer cell lines cultivated under 3D cell culture conditions, 4h after treatment of single (2 Gy or 10 Gy) or fractionated (5x2 Gy) ionizing radiation dose.
Project description:Tumor cell response to irradiation also depends on their microenvironment. Therefore ongoing investigation of three-dimensional (3D) cell culture models provide researchers with essential data studying and remodeling radiotherapeutic implications in cancer treatment. 3D culture models were shown to mimic in vivo cell microenvironment more accurately than the standard two-dimensional cell monolayer (2D) cultures. Growing evidence suggests that 2D and 3D cultured cell gene expression pattern discrepancies following irradiation is highly dependent on cell-ECM interactions. It has been shown that laminin-rich-extracellular matrix (lr-ECM) used in 3D cultures not only alters cancer cell phenotype and response to external stimuli but also affects their differentiation, migration and survivability. Thus, a change in these fundamental cell properties demands us to reconsider data previously collected using 2D in vitro models.
Project description:We analyzed gene expression in 184 (finite life span) and HMT3522 S1 (immortal non-malignant) HMECs on successive days (3, 5, and 7) post-seeding in a laminin-rich extracellular matrix assay. Both HMECs underwent growth arrest in G0/G1 and differentiated into polarized acini between days 5 and 7.
Project description:A critical step in metastasis is cancer cell dissemination. Dissemination and metastasis are associated with specific genetic changes and changes in extracellular matrix (ECM), but how these changes interact to enable dissemination remains unclear. Here we tested the importance of ECM to dissemination in both normal and malignant mammary epithelium. By time-lapse imaging, we observed collective invasion and dissemination directly in 3D culture. Our results reveal that the pattern of epithelial migration and local dissemination are constrained by the local ECM microenvironment. To identify RNA expression changes that could regulate these changes in cell behavior, we conducted whole genome RNA expression profiling from normal and malignant mammary epithelium in 3D culture. We collected RNA from normal and malignant epithelium during active growth at 4 days in culture in either Matrigel or collagen I. We hybridized the resulting RNA to Agilent single color microarrays with a minimum of three biologically independent microarray replicates per condition. We observed significant gene expression differences between normal and malignant epithelium, even when cultured in the same ECM. In contrast, the ECM microenvironment had a relatively small impact on RNA expression, despite its large effects on migratory strategy and local dissemination. Gene expression was measured in normal and malignant mammary epithelial fragments cultured in one of two 3D matrices (laminin-rich basement membrane gel or collagen I) and collected at day 4, which we observed to have peak invasion and dissemination. At least three independent experiments were performed at each time using different mice for each experiment.
Project description:An ill-defined laminin-rich three-dimensional (3D) extracellular matrix (ECM) is typically used for the generation of organoids, but little is known about its function. Here, using tunable and chemically defined 3D hydrogels, we systematically explored the role of the ECM during murine intestinal organoid development. Our results highlight the utility of chemically defined matrices for studying ECM biology in tissue engineering and pave the way for the replacement of animal-derived matrices in organoid culture.
Project description:Tumor microenvironment or stroma has the potency to regulate the behavior of malignant cells. Fibroblast-like cells are abundant in tumor stroma and they are also responsible for the synthesis of many extracellular matrix components. Fibroblast–cancer cell interplay can modify the functions of both cell types. We applied mass spectrometry and proteomics to unveil the matrisome in 3D spheroids formed by DU145 prostate cancer cells, PC3 prostate cancer cells or prostate derived fibroblasts. Similarly DU145/fibroblast and PC3/fibroblast co-culture spheroids were also analyzed. Western Blotting and immunofluorescence were used to confirm the presence of specific proteins in spheroids. Cancer dissemination was studied by utilizing "out of spheroids" migration and invasion assays. In the spheroid model cancer cell–fibroblast interplay caused remarkable changes in extracellular matrix and accelerated the invasion of DU145 cells. Fibroblasts produced structural matrix proteins, growth factors and matrix metalloproteinases. In cancer cell/fibroblast co-cultures basement membrane components, including laminins (3, 5, 2, 3), heparan sulphate proteoglycan (HSPG2 gene product), and collagen XVIII accumulated in a prominent manner when compared to spheroids that contained fibroblasts or cancer cells only. Furthermore, collagen XVIII was intensively processed to different endostatin isoforms by cancer cell derived cathepsin L. To sum up, fibroblasts can promote carcinoma cell dissemination by several different mechanisms. Extracellular matrix and basement membrane proteins provide attachment sites for cell locomotion promoting adhesion receptors. Growth factors and metalloproteinases are known to accelerate cell invasion. Additionally, cancer cell–fibroblast interplay generates biologically active fragments of basement membrane proteins, such as endostatin.
Project description:Nonmalignant human mammary epithelial cells (HMEC) seeded in laminin-rich extracellular matrix (lrECM) form polarized acini and, in doing so, transit from a disorganized proliferating state to an organized growth-arrested state. We hypothesized that the gene expression pattern of organized and growth-arrested HMECs would share similarities with breast tumors with good prognoses. Using Affymetrix HG-U133A microarrays, we analyzed the expression of 22,283 gene transcripts in 184 (finite life span) and HMT3522 S1 (immortal nonmalignant) HMECs on successive days after seeding in a lrECM assay. Both HMECs underwent growth arrest in G0-G1 and differentiated into polarized acini between days 5 and 7. We identified gene expression changes with the same temporal pattern in both lines and examined the expression of these genes in a previously published panel of microarray data for 295 breast cancer samples. We show that genes that are significantly lower in the organized, growth-arrested HMEC than in their proliferating counterparts can be used to classify breast cancer patients into poor and good prognosis groups with high accuracy. This study represents a novel unsupervised approach to identifying breast cancer markers that may be of use clinically. Experiment Overall Design: We analyzed gene expression in 184 (finite life span) and HMT3522 S1 (immortal non-malignant) HMECs on successive days (3, 5, and 7) post-seeding in a laminin-rich extracellular matrix assay. Both HMECs underwent growth arrest in G0/G1 and differentiated into polarized acini between days 5 and 7.
Project description:Cholangiocyte plasticity is strongly influenced by the extracellular matrix (ECM) niche. To investigate how specific ECM components modulate cholangiocyte identity, we performed bulk RNA sequencing on double-spheroid cultures composed of normal mouse cholangiocytes embedded either in collagen I alone or in a laminin-rich matrix. Laminin-containing ECM preserves cholangiocyte identity and limits hepatocyte-like transcriptional programs. This dataset provides transcriptional profiling of cholangiocytes exposed to distinct ECM environments and supports mechanistic studies on ECM-driven regulation of ductular reaction fate.