Tumor-produced, active interleukin-1β regulates gene expression in carcinoma-associated fibroblasts

Recently we described a co-culture model of periodontal ligament (PDL) fibroblasts and SCC-25 lingual squamous carcinoma cells, which resulted in conversion of normal fibroblasts into carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), and in epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) of SCC-25 cells. We have found a constitutive high interleukin-1β (IL1-β) expression in SCC-25 cells in normal and in co-cultured conditions. In our hypothesis a constitutive IL1-β expression in SCC-25 regulates gene expression in fibroblasts during co-culture. Co-cultures were performed between PDL fibroblasts and SCC-25 cells with and without dexamethasone (DEX) treatment; IL1-β processing was investigated in SCC-25 cells, tumor cells and PDL fibroblasts were treated with IL1-β. IL1-β signaling was investigated by western blot and immunocytochemistry. IL1-β-regulated genes were analyzed by real-time qPCR.SCC-25 cells produced 16 kD active IL1-β, its receptor was upregulated in PDL fibroblasts during co-culture, which induced phosphorylation of interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase-1 (IRAK-1), and nuclear translocalization of NFκBα. Several genes, including interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF1) interleukin-6 (IL-6) and prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase 2 (COX-2) were induced in CAFs during co-culture. The most enhanced induction was found for IL-6 and COX-2. Treatment of PDL fibroblasts with IL1-β reproduced a time- and dose-dependent upregulation of IL1-receptor, IL-6 and COX-2. A further proof was achieved by DEX inhibition for IL1-β-stimulated IL-6 and COX-2 gene expression. Constitutive expression of IL1-β in the tumor cells leads to IL1-β-stimulated gene expression changes in tumor-associated fibroblasts, which are involved in tumor progression.     

NOTCH3 Is Induced in Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts and Promotes Angiogenesis in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Recent studies have shown that Notch signaling is involved in many types of cancers, including oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs). However, the role of Notch signaling in the tumor microenvironment is not yet fully understood. In this study, we investigated the roles of NOTCH3 signaling in cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in OSCCs. Immunohistochemical study of 93 human tongue OSCC cases indicated that about one third of OSCCs showed NOTCH3 expression in CAFs, and that this expression significantly correlated with tumor-size. In vitro study showed that OSCC cell lines, especially HO1-N-1 cells stimulated NOTCH3 expression in normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDFs) through direct cell-to-cell contact. Immunohistochemical and morphometric analysis using human OSCC samples demonstrated that NOTCH3 expression in CAFs significantly correlated with micro-vessel density in cancer stroma. In vitro angiogenesis assays involving co-culture of NHDFs with HO1-N-1 and human umbilical endothelial cells (HUVECs), and NOTCH3 knockdown in NHDFs using siRNA, demonstrated that HO1-N-1 cells significantly promoted tube formation dependent on NOTCH3-expression in NHDFs. Moreover, NOTCH3 expression in CAFs was related to poor prognosis of the OSCC patients. This work provides a new insight into the role of Notch signaling in CAFs associated with tumor angiogenesis and the possibility of NOTCH3-targeted molecular therapy in OSCCs.     

Cyr61 increases matrix metalloproteinase-3 expression and cell motility in human oral squamous cell carcinoma cells

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) has a striking tendency to migrate and metastasize. Cysteine-rich 61 (Cyr61), from the CCN gene family, is a secreted and matrix-associated protein, which is involved in many cellular activities such as growth and differentiation. However, the effects of Cyr61 on human OSCC cells are largely unknown. In this study, we found that Cyr61 increased the migration and the expression of matrix metalloproteinases-3 (MMP)-3 in human OSCC cells. αvβ5 or α6β1 monoclonal antibody (mAb), focal adhesion kinase (FAK) inhibitor, and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MEK) inhibitors (PD98059 and U0126) inhibited the Cyr61-induced increase of the migration and MMP-3 up-regulation of OSCC cells. Cyr61 stimulation increased the phosphorylation of FAK, MEK, and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK). In addition, NF-κB inhibitors suppressed the cell migration and MMP-3 expression enhanced by Cyr61. Moreover, Cyr61 increased NF-κB luciferase activity and binding of p65 to the NF-κB element on the MMP-3 promoter. Taken together, our results indicate that Cyr61 enhances the migration of OSCC cells by increasing MMP-3 expression through the αvβ3 or α6β1 integrin receptor, FAK, MEK, ERK, and NF-κB signal transduction pathway.     

Candidate Markers That Associate with Chemotherapy Resistance in Breast Cancer through the Study on Taxotere-Induced Damage to Tumor Microenvironment and Gene Expression Profiling of Carcinoma-Associated Fibroblasts (CAFs)

Recently, emerging evidence has suggested that carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) could contribute to chemotherapy resistances in breast cancer treatment. The aim of this study is to compare the gene expression profiling of CAFs before and after chemotherapy and pick up candidate genes that might associate with chemotherapy resistance and could be used as predictors of treatment response. CAFs were cultured from surgically resected primary breast cancers and identified with immunohistochemistry (IHC) and Flow cytometry (FCM). MDA-MB-231 cells were cultured as the breast cancer cell line. Cell adhesion assay, invasion assay, and proliferation assay (MTT) were performed to compare the function of MDA-MB-231 cells co-cultured with CAFs and MDA-MB-231 cells without co-culture, after chemotherapy. Totally 6 pairs of CAFs were prepared for microarray analysis. Each pair of CAFs were obtained from the same patient and classified into two groups. One group was treated with Taxotere (regarded as after chemotherapy) while the other group was not processed with Taxotere (regarded as before chemotherapy). According to our study, the primary-cultured CAFs exhibited characteristic phenotype. After chemotherapy, MDA-MB-231 cells co-cultured with CAFs displayed increasing adhesion, invasiveness and proliferation abilities, compared with MDA-MB-231 cells without CAFs. Moreover, 35 differentially expressed genes (absolute fold change >2) were identified between CAFs after chemotherapy and before chemotherapy, including 17 up-regulated genes and 18 down-regulated genes. CXCL2, MMP1, IL8, RARRES1, FGF1, and CXCR7 were picked up as the candidate markers, of which the differential expression in CAFs before and after chemotherapy was confirmed. The results indicate the changes of gene expression in CAFs induced by Taxotere treatment and propose the candidate markers that possibly associate with chemotherapy resistance in breast cancer.     

Crosstalk between oral squamous cell carcinoma cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts via the TGF-β/SOX9 axis in cancer progression

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) have important roles in promoting cancer development and progression. We previously reported that high expression of sex-determining region Y (SRY)-box9 (SOX9) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells was positively correlated with poor prognosis. This study developed three-dimensional (3D) in vitro models co-cultured with OSCC cells and CAFs to examine CAF-mediated cancer migration and invasion in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, we performed an immunohistochemical analysis of alpha-smooth muscle actin and SOX9 expression in surgical specimens from 65 OSCC patients. The results indicated that CAFs promote cancer migration and invasion in migration assays and 3D in vitro models. The invading OSCC cells exhibited significant SOX9 expression and changes in the expression of epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers, suggesting that SOX9 promotes EMT. TGF-β1 signalling inhibition reduced SOX9 expression and cancer invasion in vitro and in vivo, indicating that TGF-β1-mediated invasion is dependent on SOX9. In surgical specimens, the presence of CAFs was correlated with SOX9 expression in the invasive cancer nests and had a significant impact on regional recurrence. These findings demonstrate that CAFs promote cancer migration and invasion via the TGF-β/SOX9 axis.     

Crosstalk between oral squamous cell carcinoma cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts via the TGF-β/SOX9 axis in cancer progression

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) have important roles in promoting cancer development and progression. We previously reported that high expression of sex-determining region Y (SRY)-box9 (SOX9) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells was positively correlated with poor prognosis. This study developed three-dimensional (3D) in vitro models co-cultured with OSCC cells and CAFs to examine CAF-mediated cancer migration and invasion in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, we performed an immunohistochemical analysis of alpha-smooth muscle actin and SOX9 expression in surgical specimens from 65 OSCC patients. The results indicated that CAFs promote cancer migration and invasion in migration assays and 3D in vitro models. The invading OSCC cells exhibited significant SOX9 expression and changes in the expression of epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers, suggesting that SOX9 promotes EMT. TGF-β1 signalling inhibition reduced SOX9 expression and cancer invasion in vitro and in vivo, indicating that TGF-β1-mediated invasion is dependent on SOX9. In surgical specimens, the presence of CAFs was correlated with SOX9 expression in the invasive cancer nests and had a significant impact on regional recurrence. These findings demonstrate that CAFs promote cancer migration and invasion via the TGF-β/SOX9 axis.     

Tumor cells induce the cancer associated fibroblast phenotype via caveolin-1 degradation: Implications for breast cancer and DCIS therapy with autophagy inhibitors

Loss of stromal caveolin 1 (Cav-1) is a novel biomarker for cancer-associated fibroblasts that predicts poor clinical outcome in breast cancer and DCIS patients. We hypothesized that epithelial cancer cells may have the ability to drive Cav-1 downregulation in adjacent normal fibroblasts, thereby promoting the cancer associated fibroblast phenotype. To test this hypothesis directly, here we developed a novel co-culture model employing (i) human breast cancer cells (MCF7), and (ii) immortalized fibroblasts (hTERT-BJ1), which are grown under defined experimental conditions. Importantly, we show that co-culture of immortalized human fibroblasts with MCF7 breast cancer cells leads to Cav-1 downregulation in fibroblasts. These results were also validated using primary cultures of normal human mammary fibroblasts co-cultured with MCF7 cells. In this system, we show that Cav-1 downregulation is mediated by autophagic/lysosomal degradation, as pre-treatment with lysosome-specific inhibitors rescues Cav-1 expression. Functionally, we demonstrate that fibroblasts co-cultured with MCF7 breast cancer cells acquire a cancer associated fibroblast phenotype, characterized by Cav-1 downregulation, increased expression of myofibroblast markers and extracellular matrix proteins, and constitutive activation of TGFβ/Smad2 signaling. siRNA-mediated Cav-1 downregulation mimics several key changes that occur in co-cultured fibroblasts, clearly indicating that a loss of Cav-1 is a critical initiating factor, driving stromal fibroblast activation during tumorigenesis. As such, this co-culture system can now be used as an experimental model for generating “synthetic” cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs). More specifically, these “synthetic” CAFs could be used for drug screening to identify novel therapeutics that selectively target the Cav-1-negative tumor micro-environment. Our findings also suggest that chloroquine, or other autophagy/lysosome inhibitors, may be useful as anti-cancer agents, to therapeutically restore the expression of stromal Cav-1 in cancer associated fibroblasts. We discuss this possibility, in light of the launch of a new clinical trial that uses chloroquine to treat DCIS patients: PINC (Preventing Invasive Breast Neoplasia with Cholorquine) [See http://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT01023477].     

The gene expression profiles of canine mammary cancer cells grown with carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) as a co-culture in vitro

Background

It is supposed that fibroblasts present in tumour microenvironment increase cancer invasiveness and its ability to metastasize but the mechanisms have not been clearly defined yet. Thus, the current study was designed to assess changes in gene expression in five various cancer cell lines grown as a co-culture with the carcinoma-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in vitro.

Results

A carcinoma-associated fibroblast cell line was isolated from a canine mammary cancer. Then, a co-culture of cancer cells with the CAFs was established and maintained for 72 hrs. Having sorted the cells, a global gene expression in cancer cells using DNA microarrays was examined. The analysis revealed an up-regulation of 100 genes and a down-regulation of 106 genes in the cancer cells grown as a co-culture with the CAFs in comparison to control conditions. The PANTHER binomial statistics tool was applied to determine statistically over-manifested pathways (p < 0.05). Bulk of the up-regulated genes are involved in the adhesion, the angiogenesis, the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and generally take part in the developmental processes. These results were further confirmed using real-time qPCR. Moreover, a wound-healing assay and growth characteristics on Matrigel matrix showed that CAFs increase cancer cell migration and matrix invasion.

Conclusion

The results of the current study showed that the co-culturing of cancer cells and the CAFs caused significant changes to the cancer gene expression. The presence of the CAFs in a microenvironment of cancer cells promotes adhesion, angiogenesis and EMT.     

Markers of breast cancer stromal fibroblasts in the primary tumour site associated with lymph node metastasis: a systematic review including our case series

CAFs (cancer-associated fibroblasts), the most abundant cell type in breast cancer stroma, produce a plethora of chemokines, growth factors and ECM (extracellular matrix) proteins, that may contribute to dissemination and metastasis. Axillary nodes are the first metastatic site in breast cancer; however, to the present date, there is no consensus of which specific proteins, synthesized by CAFs, might be related with lymph node involvement. The purpose of this study was to perform a systematic review of CAF biomarkers associated with the presence of regional metastasis. PubMed was searched using the words: ‘breast cancer’ and ‘lymph node’ and fibroblast or stroma or microenvironment. After exclusions, eight studies evaluating biomarkers immunoexpression in CAFs and lymph node status were selected. Biomarkers evaluated in these studies may be divided in two groups, according to their ontology: extracellular matrix components [MMP13 (matrix metalloproteinase 13), TIMP2 (tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-2), THBS1 (thrombospondin 1), LGALS1 (lectin, galactoside-binding, soluble, 1)] and response to wounding [PDPN (podoplanin), PLAU (plasminogen activator, urokinase), PLAUR (plasminogen activator, urokinase receptor), CAV1 (caveolin 1), THBS1, LGALS1]. A positive expression of MMP13 and LGALS1 in CAFs was associated with enhanced OR (odds ratio) for regional metastasis. Contrariwise, CAV1 positive staining of fibroblasts was associated with decreased OR for nodal involvement. Expression of MMP13, PDPN and CAV1 was further tested in a new series of 65 samples of invasive ductal breast carcinomas by immunohistochemistry and no association between biomarkers expression in CAFs and nodal status was found. It was suggested that breast cancer subtypes may differentially affect CAFs behaviour. It would be interesting to evaluate the prognostic significance of these biomarkers in CAFs from different tumour types.     

The impact of cellular elements of TME on melanoma biology and its sensitivity to EGFR and MET targeted therapy

Microenvironment of the melanoma consists of cellular elements like fibroblasts, adipocytes, and keratinocytes as well as extracellular matrix and physicochemical conditions. In our previous research, we have established that melanoma influences strongly above mentioned cells present in the tumor niche and recruits them to support cancer progression. In this work, we evaluated the impact of cancer-associated cells, namely fibroblasts (CAFs), adipocytes (CAAs), and keratinocytes (CAKs) on melanoma proliferation, signaling pathways activation, metabolism as well as the effectiveness of used anti-cancer therapy. Obtained results indicated elevated phosphorylation of STAT3, upregulated GLUT1 and GLUT3 as well as downregulated of MCT-1 expression level in melanoma cells under the influence of all examined cells present in the tumor niche. The proliferation of melanoma cells was increased after co-culture with CAFs and CAKs, while epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers' expression level was raised in the presence of CAFs and CAAs. The level of perilipin 2 and lipid content was elevated in melanoma cells under the influence of CAAs. Moreover, increased expression of CYP1A1, gene encoding drug metabolizing protein, in melanoma cells co-cultured with CAFs and CAKs prompted us to verify the effectiveness of the previously proposed by us anti-melanoma therapy based on combination of EGFR and MET inhibitors. Obtained results indicate that the designed therapy is still efficient, even if the fibroblasts, adipocytes, and keratinocytes, are present in the melanoma vicinity.     

Downregulation of Microrna‐148a in Cancer‐Associated Fibroblasts from Oral Cancer Promotes Cancer Cell Migration and Invasion by Targeting Wnt10b

It is well established that crosstalk between cancer‐associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and cancer cells plays a critical role in the occurrence and development of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The molecular mechanisms underlying such interaction, however, remain far from clear. Accumulating data have indicated that microRNAs involved in tumor microenvironment, particularly in CAFs, contribute to the activation of fibroblasts and metastasis of cancer cells. Here, we showed that miR‐148a was downregulated in CAFs compared with normal fibroblasts isolated from clinical OSCC tissue. Investigation of miR‐148a function in fibroblasts demonstrated that overexpression of miR‐148a in CAFs significantly impaired the migration and invasion of oral carcinoma cells (SCC‐25) by directly targeting WNT10B. Taken together, these data suggested that miR‐148a might be a novel candidate target for the treatment of OSCC.     

Effects of activated fibroblasts on phenotype modulation,EGFR signalling and cell cycle regulation in OSCC cells

Crosstalk between carcinoma associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells is suggested to mediate phenotype transition of cancer cells as a prerequisite for tumour progression, to predict patients’ outcome, and to influence the efficacy of EGFR inhibitor therapies. Here we investigate the influence of activated fibroblasts as a model for CAFs on phenotype and EGFR signalling in OSCC cells in vitro. For this, immortalised hTERT-BJ1 fibroblasts were activated with TGFβ1 and PDGFAB to generate a myofibroblast or proliferative phenotype, respectively. Conditioned media (FCM_TGF, FCM_PDGF) were used to stimulate PE/CA-PJ15 OSCC cells. Results were compared to the effect of conditioned media of non-stimulated fibroblasts (FCM_B). FCM_TGF stimulation leads to an up-regulation of vimentin in the OSCC cells and an enhancement of invasive behaviour, indicating EMT-like effects. Similarly, FCM_TGF?$?$FCM_PDGF induced up-regulation of EGFR, but not of ErbB2/ErbB3. In addition, we detected an increase in basal activities of ERK, PI3K/Akt and Stat3 (FCM_TGF>FCM_PDGF) accompanied by protein interaction of vimentin with pERK. These effects are correlated with an increased proliferation. In summary, our results suggest that the activated myofibroblast phenotype provides soluble factors which are able to induce EMT-like phenomena and to increase EGFR signalling as well as cell proliferation in OSCC cells. Our results indicate a possible influence of activated myofibroblasts on EGFR-inhibitor therapy. Therefore, CAFs may serve as promising novel targets for combined therapy strategies.     

Focal Adhesion Kinase Knockdown in Carcinoma‐Associated Fibroblasts Inhibits Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Metastasis via Downregulating MCP‐1/CCL2 Expression

Carcinoma‐associated fibroblasts (CAFs) have been demonstrated to play an important role in the occurrence and development of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of CAFs on OSCC cells and to explore the role of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) in this process. The results showed that oral CAFs expressed a higher level of FAK than normal human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs), and the conditioned medium (CM) of CAFs could induce the invasion and migration of SCC‐25, one oral squamous carcinoma cell line. However, knockdown of FAK by small interfering RNA (siRNA) resulted in inhibition of CAF–CM induced cell invasion and migration in SCC‐25, probably by reducing the production of monocyte chemoattractant protein‐1 (MCP‐1/CCL2), one of downstream target chemokines. Therefore, our findings indicated that targeting FAK in CAFs might be a promising strategy for the treatment of OSCC in the future.     

Crosstalk between oral squamous cell carcinoma cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts via the TGF-β/SOX9 axis in cancer progression

Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) have important roles in promoting cancer development and progression. We previously reported that high expression of sex-determining region Y (SRY)-box9 (SOX9) in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cells was positively correlated with poor prognosis. This study developed three-dimensional (3D) in vitro models co-cultured with OSCC cells and CAFs to examine CAF-mediated cancer migration and invasion in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, we performed an immunohistochemical analysis of alpha-smooth muscle actin and SOX9 expression in surgical specimens from 65 OSCC patients. The results indicated that CAFs promote cancer migration and invasion in migration assays and 3D in vitro models. The invading OSCC cells exhibited significant SOX9 expression and changes in the expression of epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers, suggesting that SOX9 promotes EMT. TGF-β1 signalling inhibition reduced SOX9 expression and cancer invasion in vitro and in vivo, indicating that TGF-β1-mediated invasion is dependent on SOX9. In surgical specimens, the presence of CAFs was correlated with SOX9 expression in the invasive cancer nests and had a significant impact on regional recurrence. These findings demonstrate that CAFs promote cancer migration and invasion via the TGF-β/SOX9 axis.     

Cancer-associated fibroblasts induce matrix metalloproteinase-mediated cetuximab resistance in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells

A growing body of evidence suggests that components of the tumor microenvironment, including cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF), may modulate the treatment sensitivity of tumor cells. Here, we investigated the possible influence of CAFs on the sensitivity of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cell lines to cetuximab, an antagonistic epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) antibody. Cetuximab treatment caused a reduction in the proliferation rate of HNSCC cell lines, whereas the growth of HNSCC-derived CAF cultures was unaffected. When tumor cells were cocultured with CAFs in a transwell system, the cetuximab-induced growth inhibition was reduced, and a complete protection from growth inhibition was observed in one of the tumor cell lines investigated. Media that had been conditioned by CAFs offered protection from cetuximab treatment in a concentration-dependent manner, suggesting that the resistance to treatment was mediated by CAF-derived soluble factors. The coculture of HNSCC cell lines with CAFs resulted in an elevated expression of matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) in both the tumor cells and CAFs. Moreover, the CAF-induced resistance was partly abolished by the presence of an MMP inhibitor. However, CAFs treated with siRNA targeting MMP-1 still protected tumor cells from cetuximab treatment, suggesting that several MMPs may cooperate to facilitate resistance or that the protective effect is mediated by another member of the MMP family. These results identify a novel CAF-dependent modulation of cetuximab sensitivity and suggest that inhibiting MMPs may improve the effects of EGFR-targeted therapy. Mol Cancer Res; 10(9); 1158-68. ?2012 AACR.     

Overexpression of monocarboxylate anion transporter 1 and 4 in T24-induced cancer-associated fibroblasts regulates the progression of bladder cancer cells in a 3D microfluidic device

Stromal fibroblasts are essential for tumor proliferation and invasion. Here we presented a 3-dimensional (3D) microfluidic co-culture device to reconstruct an in vivo-like tumor microenvironment for investigation of the interactions of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and bladder cancer cells. With this device, we verified that the cytokines secreted by bladder cancer cells T24 effectively transform the fibroblasts into CAFs. Compared to fibroblasts, the CAFs, which undergo the aerobic glycolysis, showed higher ability to produce lactate and provide energy for bladder cancer cell proliferation and invasion. We also demonstrated that this kind of tumor-promoting effect was associated with the upregulation of monocarboxylate anion transporter 1 (MCT1) and MCT4 expression in CAFs. We concluded that MCT1 and MCT4 are involved in bladder cancer cell proliferation and invasiveness. Moreover, this 3D microfluidic co-culture device allows for the assay to characterize various cellular events in a single device sequentially, facilitating a better understanding of the interactions among heterotypic cells in a sophisticated microenvironment.     

Decorin and chondroitin-6 sulfate inhibit B16V melanoma cell migration and invasion by cellular acidification

In vivo, cells are embedded in an environment generated and maintained by multiple cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. While transiting the dermis metastasizing melanoma cells interact with the extracellular matrix (ECM) and fibroblasts. To study the roles of ECM components and fibroblasts in melanoma (B16V) cell migration and invasion, we established a co-culture system consisting of fibroblasts, their collagen-rich matrix and B16V cells. The crosstalk between B16V cells and fibroblasts was indicated by a clear increase in release and activity of matrix-metallo-protease-2. Time-lapse microscopy revealed that in B16V cells exposed to either decorin or chondroitin sulfates migration and invasion decreased by more than 50%. Decorin led to a reversible, chondroitin-6-sulfate to an irreversible, cytosolic acidification of B16V cells. Interestingly, decorin lowered NHE1 activity whereas chondroitin-6-sulfate did not. Furthermore, decorin and chondroitin-6-sulfate also acidified the pH at the cell surface which might prevent migration due to strong adhesion. In conclusion, the present co-culture system is an appropriate tool to analyze migration, invasion, and MMP release depending on cell-matrix interactions and the crosstalk between the invasive cells and those surrounded by their self-made matrix. We show a so far unknown function of decorin and chondroitin-6-sulfate: their ability to inhibit B16V cell migration by intracellular acidification.