Generation of Multicellular Tumor Spheroids with Microwell-Based Agarose Scaffolds for Drug Testing

Three dimensional multicellular aggregate, also referred to as cell spheroid or microtissue, is an indispensable tool for in vitro evaluating antitumor activity and drug efficacy. Compared with classical cellular monolayer, multicellular tumor spheroid (MCTS) offers a more rational platform to predict in vivo drug efficacy and toxicity. Nevertheless, traditional processing methods such as plastic dish culture with nonadhesive surfaces are regularly time-consuming, laborious and difficult to provide uniform-sized spheroids, thus causing poor reproducibility of experimental data and impeding high-throughput drug screening. In order to provide a robust and effective platform for in vitro drug evaluation, we present an agarose scaffold prepared with the template containing uniform-sized micro-wells in commercially available cell culture plates. The agarose scaffold allows for good adjustment of MCTS size and large-scale production of MCTS. Transparent agarose scaffold also allows for monitoring of spheroid formation under an optical microscopy. The formation of MCTS from MCF-7 cells was prepared using different-size-well templates and systematically investigated in terms of spheroid growth curve, circularity, and cell viability. The doxorubicin cytotoxicity against MCF-7 spheroid and MCF-7 monolayer cells was compared. The drug penetration behavior, cell cycle distribution, cell apoptosis, and gene expression were also evaluated in MCF-7 spheroid. The findings of this study indicate that, compared with cellular monolayer, MCTS provides a valuable platform for the assessment of therapeutic candidates in an in vivo-mimic microenvironment, and thus has great potential for use in drug discovery and tumor biology research.     

Use of multicellular tumor spheroids to dissect endothelial cell-tumor cell interactions: a role for T-cadherin in tumor angiogenesis

This study addresses establishment of an "in vitro" melanoma angiogenesis model using multicellular tumor spheroids (MCTS) of differentiated (HBL) or undifferentiated (NA8) melanoma cell lines. DNA microarray assay and qRT-PCR indicated upregulation of pro-angiogenic factors IL-8, VEGF, Ephrin A1 and ANGPTL4 in NA8-MCTSs (vs. monolayers) whereas these were absent in MCTS and monolayer cultures of HBL. Upon co-culture with endothelial cell line HMEC-1 NA8-MCTS attract, whereas HBL-MCTS repulse, HMEC-1. Overexpression of T-cadherin in HMEC-1 leads to their increased invasion and network formation within NA8-MCTS. Given an appropriate angiogenic tumor microenvironment, T-cadherin upregulation on endothelial cells may potentiate intratumoral angiogenesis.     

GPI/AMF inhibition blocks the development of the metastatic phenotype of mature multi-cellular tumor spheroids

Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cellular invasiveness are two pivotal processes for the development of metastatic tumor phenotypes. The metastatic profile of non-metastatic MCF-7 cells growing as multi-cellular tumor microspheroids (MCTSs) was analyzed by determining the contents of the EMT, invasive and migratory proteins, as well as their migration and invasiveness potential and capacity to secrete active cytokines such as the glucose phosphate isomerase/AMF (GPI/AMF). As for the control, the same analysis was also performed in MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 (highly metastatic, MDA) monolayer cells, and in stage IIIB and IV human metastatic breast biopsies. The proliferative cell layers (PRL) of mature MCF-7 MCTSs, MDA monolayer cells and metastatic biopsies exhibited increased cellular contents (2–15 times) of EMT (β-catenin, SNAIL), migratory (vimentin, cytokeratin, and fibronectin) and invasive (MMP-1, VEGF) proteins versus MCF-7 monolayer cells, quiescent cell layers of mature MCF-7 MCTS and non-metastatic breast biopsies. The increase in metastatic proteins correlated with substantially elevated cellular abilities for migration (18-times) and invasiveness (13-times) and with the higher level (6-times) of the cytokine GPI/AMF in the extracellular medium of PRL, as compared to MCF-7 monolayer cells. Interestingly, the addition of the GPI/AMF inhibitors erythrose-4-phosphate or 6-phosphogluconate at micromolar doses significantly decreased its extracellular activity (> 80%), with a concomitant diminution in the metastatic protein content and migratory tumor cell capacity, and with no inhibitory effect on tumor lactate production or toxicity on 3T3 mouse fibroblasts. The present findings provide new insights into the discovery of metabolic inhibitors to be used as complementary therapy against metastatic and aggressive tumors.     

In Vivo Fluorescence Imaging Reveals the Promotion of Mammary Tumorigenesis by Mesenchymal Stromal Cells

Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are multipotent adult stem cells which are recruited to the tumor microenvironment (TME) and influence tumor progression through multiple mechanisms. In this study, we examined the effects of MSCs on the tunmorigenic capacity of 4T1 murine mammary cancer cells. It was found that MSC-conditioned medium increased the proliferation, migration, and efficiency of mammosphere formation of 4T1 cells in vitro. When co-injected with MSCs into the mouse mammary fat pad, 4T1 cells showed enhanced tumor growth and generated increased spontaneous lung metastasis. Using in vivo fluorescence color-coded imaging, the interaction between GFP-expressing MSCs and RFP-expressing 4T1 cells was monitored. As few as five 4T1 cells could give rise to tumor formation when co-injected with MSCs into the mouse mammary fat pad, but no tumor was formed when five or ten 4T1 cells were implanted alone. The elevation of tumorigenic potential was further supported by gene expression analysis, which showed that when 4T1 cells were in contact with MSCs, several oncogenes, cancer markers, and tumor promoters were upregulated. Moreover, in vivo longitudinal fluorescence imaging of tumorigenesis revealed that MSCs created a vascularized environment which enhances the ability of 4T1 cells to colonize and proliferate. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that the promotion of mammary cancer progression by MSCs was achieved through the generation of a cancer-enhancing microenvironment to increase tumorigenic potential. These findings also suggest the potential risk of enhancing tumor progression in clinical cell therapy using MSCs. Attention has to be paid to patients with high risk of breast cancer when considering cell therapy with MSCs.     

Endothelial Protein C Receptor Function in Murine and Human Breast Cancer Development

Several markers identify cancer stem cell-like populations, but little is known about the functional roles of stem cell surface receptors in tumor progression. Here, we show that the endothelial protein C receptor (EPCR), a stem cell marker in hematopoietic, neuronal and epithelial cells, is crucial for breast cancer growth in the orthotopic microenvironment of the mammary gland. Mice with a hypomorphic allele of EPCR show reduced tumor growth in the PyMT-model of spontaneous breast cancer development and deletion of EPCR in established PyMT tumor cells significantly attenuates transplanted tumor take and growth. We find expansion of EPCR⁺ cancer stem cell-like populations in aggressive, mammary fat pad-enhanced human triple negative breast cancer cells. In this model, EPCR-expressing cells have markedly increased mammosphere- and tumor-cell initiating activity compared to another stable progenitor-like subpopulation present at comparable frequency. We show that receptor blocking antibodies to EPCR specifically attenuate in vivo tumor growth initiated by either EPCR⁺ cells or the heterogenous mixture of EPCR⁺ and EPCR^- cells. Furthermore, we have identified tumor associated macrophages as a major source for recognized ligands of EPCR, suggesting a novel mechanism by which cancer stem cell-like populations are regulated by innate immune cells in the tumor microenvironment.     

In vitro lung cancer multicellular tumor spheroid formation using a microfluidic device

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate self-organizing in vitro multicellular tumor spheroid (MCTS) formation in a microfluidic system and to observe the behavior of MCTSs under controlled microenvironment. The employed microfluidic system was designed for simple and effective formation of MCTSs by generating nutrient and oxygen gradients. The MCTSs were composed of cancer cells, vascular endothelial cells, and type I collagen matrix to mimic the in vivo tumor microenvironment (TME). Cell culture medium was perfused to the microfluidic device loaded with MCTSs by a passive fluidic pump at a constant flow rate. The dose response to an MMPs inhibitor was investigated to demonstrate the effects of biochemical substances. The result of long-term stability of MCTSs revealed that continuous perfusion of cell culture medium is one of the major factors for the successful MCTS formation. A continuous flow of cell culture medium in the in vitro TME greatly affected both the proliferation of cancer cells in the micro-wells and the sustainability of the endothelial cell-layer integrity in the lumen of microfluidic channels. Addition of MMP inhibitor to the cell culture medium improved the stability of the collagen matrix by preventing the detachment and shrinkage of the collagen matrix surrounding the MCTSs. In summary, the present constant flow assisted microfluidic system is highly advantageous for long-term observation of the MCTS generation, tumorous tissue formation process and drug responses. MCTS formation in a microfluidic system may serve as a potent tool for studying drug screening, tumorigenesis and metastasis.     

LncRNA TDRG1 enhances tumorigenicity in endometrial carcinoma by binding and targeting VEGF-A protein

Endometrial carcinoma is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers in females. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been associated with cancer; its role in endometrial carcinoma is an emerging area of research. In this article, lncRNA TDRG1 expression in human endometrial carcinoma tissues and normal endometrial tissues was quantified by qRT-PCR. LncRNA TDRG1 was overexpressed or knocked-down in neither HEC-1B nor Ishikawa endometrial carcinoma cells, respectively, to assess cellular phenotype and expression of related molecules. Our results showed that lncRNA TDRG1 was significantly overexpressed in endometrial carcinoma tissues. Overexpression of lncRNA TDRG1 promoted endometrial carcinoma cell viability, invasion and migratory ability, inhibited apoptosis, and upregulated VEGF-A, PI3K, Bcl-2, MMP2 and survivin; knockdown of lncRNA TDRG1 had the opposite effects. LncRNA TDRG1 overexpression increased tumorigenicity in vivo and was associated with the upregulation of VEGF-A. RNA binding protein immunoprecipitation (RIP) assays confirmed that lncRNA TDRG1 directly binds to VEGF-A protein. Furthermore, knockdown of VEGFA in lncRNA TDRG1-overexpressing endometrial carcinoma cells reversed the effects of lncRNA TDRG1 on cell proliferation, invasion, migration and apoptosis. In conclusion, lncRNA TDRG1 may promote endometrial carcinoma cell proliferation and invasion by positively targeting VEGF-A and modulating relative genes.     

Breast cancer cell behaviors on staged tumorigenesis-mimicking matrices derived from tumor cells at various malignant stages

Extracellular matrix (ECM) has been focused to understand tumor progression in addition to the genetic mutation of cancer cells. Here, we prepared “staged tumorigenesis-mimicking matrices” which mimic in vivo ECM in tumor tissue at each malignant stage to understand the roles of ECM in tumor progression. Breast tumor cells, MDA-MB-231 (invasive), MCF-7 (non-invasive), and MCF-10A (benign) cells, were cultured to form their own ECM beneath the cells and formed ECM was prepared as staged tumorigenesis-mimicking matrices by decellularization treatment. Cells showed weak attachment on the matrices derived from MDA-MB-231 cancer cells. The proliferations of MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 was promoted on the matrices derived from MDA-MB-231 cancer cells whereas MCF-10A cell proliferation was not promoted. MCF-10A cell proliferation was promoted on the matrices derived from MCF-10A cells. Chemoresistance of MDA-MB-231 cells against 5-fluorouracil increased on only matrices derived from MDA-MB-231 cells. Our results showed that the cells showed different behaviors on staged tumorigenesis-mimicking matrices according to the malignancy of cell sources for ECM preparation. Therefore, staged tumorigenesis-mimicking matrices might be a useful in vitro ECM models to investigate the roles of ECM in tumor progression.     

Induction of apoptosis in the centre of multicellular tumour spheroids of colorectal adenocarcinomas--involvement of CD95 pathway and differentiation

Multicellular tumour spheroids (MCTS) are three-dimensional cell culture systems which are widely used in cancer research. They are characterized by an outer zone of proliferating cells, an inner region of differentiating quiescent cells and an area of so-called necrotic cell death in their centre. The exact cause of this cell death, a controversy for many years, was the aim of the present study. Our data show that cell death in the centre of MCTS of three colorectal adenocarcinoma cell lines (HRT-18, HT-29 and CX-2) was induced by apoptosis. Apoptotic cells were initially distributed at random but accumulated very quickly in the quiescent and central area at day 4-5, suggesting a time- rather than size-dependent synchronization of apoptosis parallel to the formation of the proliferation gradient in MCTS. To study mechanisms inducing apoptosis, the Fas-pathway was investigated. A cell-cell contact-dependent expression of CD95 was found in all MCTS. FasL was not detected in monolayer cultures, but was expressed in spheroids of HRT-18 and CX-2. We found that TNF alpha and TGF beta 1 activated the CD95 pathway in all three cell lines. Since both TNF-alpha and TGF-beta are known to be inducible by hypoxia in a variety of cell types, we suggest that these hypoxia-induced factors sensitize the CD95 pathway in the quiescent area of MCTS. Furthermore, a loss of the heat shock proteins 27, 32, 60, 73 and 90 was observed in the quiescent area of spheroids. This suggests that tumour cell differentiation in the inner region of MCTS may be an additional factor inducing apoptosis.     

MiR-155 promotes proliferation of human breast cancer MCF-7 cells through targeting tumor protein 53-induced nuclear protein 1

Background

MiR-155 has emerged as an “oncomiR”, which is the most significantly up-regulated miRNA in breast cancer. However, the mechanisms of miR-155 functions as an oncomiR are mainly unknown. In this study, the aims were to investigate the effects of miR-155 on cell proliferation, cell cycle, and cell apoptosis of ERalpha (+) breast cancer cells and to verify whether TP53INP1 (tumor protein 53-induced nuclear protein 1) is a target of miR-155, and tried to explore the mechanisms of miR-155 in this process.

Results

The expression of miR-155 is significantly higher in MCF-7 cells compared with MDA-MB-231 cells. Ectopic expression of TP53INP1 inhibits growth of MCF-7 cells by inducing cell apoptosis and inhibiting cell cycle progression. Overexpression of miR-155 increases cell proliferation and suppress cell apoptosis, whereas abrogating expression of miR-155 suppress cell proliferation and promotes cell apoptosis of MCF-7 cells. In addition, miR-155 negatively regulates TP53INP1 mRNA expression and the protein expression of TP53INP1, cleaved-caspase-3, -8, -9, and p21, and luciferase reporter reveals that TP53INP1 is targeted by miR-155.

Conclusions

TP53INP1 is the direct target of miR-155. MiR-155, which is overexpressed in MCF-7 cells, contributes to proliferation of MCF-7 cells possibly through down-regulating target TP53INP1.     

Endothelial Cells Provide a Notch-Dependent Pro-Tumoral Niche for Enhancing Breast Cancer Survival,Stemness and Pro-Metastatic Properties

Treating metastasis has been challenging due to tumors complexity and heterogeneity. This complexity is partly related to the crosstalk between tumor and its microenvironment. Endothelial cells -the building blocks of tumor vasculature- have been shown to have additional roles in cancer progression than angiogenesis and supplying oxygen and nutrients. Here, we show an alternative role for endothelial cells in supporting breast cancer growth and spreading independent of their vascular functions. Using endothelial cells and breast cancer cell lines MDA-MB231 and MCF-7, we developed co-culture systems to study the influence of tumor endothelium on breast tumor development by both in vitro and in vivo approaches. Our results demonstrated that endothelial cells conferred survival advantage to tumor cells under complete starvation and enriched the CD44^HighCD24^Low/- stem cell population in tumor cells. Moreover, endothelial cells enhanced the pro-metastatic potential of breast cancer cells. The in vitro and in vivo results concordantly confirmed a role for endothelial Jagged1 to promote breast tumor through notch activation. Here, we propose a role for endothelial cells in enhancing breast cancer progression, stemness, and pro-metastatic traits through a perfusion-independent manner. Our findings may be beneficial in developing novel therapeutic approaches.     

Optimising non-viral gene delivery in a tumour spheroid model

BACKGROUND: Our current understanding of how the unique tumour microenvironment influences the efficacy of gene delivery is limited. The current investigation systematically examines the efficiency of several non-viral gene transfer agents to transfect multicellular tumour spheroids (MCTS), an in vitro model that displays a faithful three-dimensional (3D) representation of solid tumour tissue. METHODS: Using a luciferase reporter assay, gene transfer to MCTS was optimised for 22 kDa linear and 25 kDa branched polyethyleneimine (PEI), the cationic lipids Lipofectamine(trade mark) and DCChol : DOPE, and the physical approach of tissue electroporation. Confocal microscopy was used to take optical tissue slices to identify the tissue localisation of green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter gene expression and the distribution of fluorescently labelled complexes. A MCTS model of quiescent tumour regions was used to establish the influence of cellular proliferation status on gene transfer efficiency. RESULTS: Of the polyplexes tested, 22 kDa linear PEI provided optimal gene delivery, with gene expression peaking at 46 h. Despite being the optimal vector tested, PEI-mediated transfection was limited to cells at the MCTS periphery. Using fluorescent PEI, it was found that complexes could only penetrate the outer 3-5 proliferating cell layers of the MCTS, sparing the deeper quiescent cells. Gene delivery in an MCTS model comprised entirely of quiescent cells demonstrated that in addition to being inaccessible to the vector, quiescent tumour regions are inherently less susceptible to PEI-mediated transfection than proliferating regions. This 'resistance' to transfection observed in quiescent cells was overcome through the use of electroporation. Despite the improved efficacy of electroporation in quiescent tissue, the gene expression was still confined to the outer regions of MCTS. The results suggest that limited access to central regions of an MCTS remain a significant barrier to gene delivery. CONCLUSIONS: This data provides new insights into tumour-specific factors affecting non-viral gene transfer and highlights the difficulties in delivering genes to avascular tumour regions. The MCTS model is a useful system for the initial screening of future gene therapy strategies for solid tumours.     

Niche-Dependent Gene Expression Profile of Intratumoral Heterogeneous Ovarian Cancer Stem Cell Populations

Intratumoral heterogeneity challenges existing paradigms for anti-cancer therapy. We have previously demonstrated that the human embryonic stem cells (hESC)-derived cellular microenvironment in immunocompromised mice, enables functional distinction of heterogeneous tumor cells, including cells which do not grow into a tumor in a conventional direct tumor xenograft platform. We have identified and characterized six cancer cell subpopulations each clonally expanded from a single cell, derived from human ovarian clear cell carcinoma of a single tumor, to demonstrate striking intratumoral phenotypic heterogeneity that is dynamically dependent on the tumor growth microenvironment. These cancer cell subpopulations, characterized as cancer stem cell subpopulations, faithfully recapitulate the full spectrum of histological phenotypic heterogeneity known for human ovarian clear cell carcinoma. Each of the six subpopulations displays a different level of morphologic and tumorigenic differentiation wherein growth in the hESC-derived microenvironment favors growth of CD44+/aldehyde dehydrogenase positive pockets of self-renewing cells that sustain tumor growth through a process of tumorigenic differentiation into CD44-/aldehyde dehydrogenase negative derivatives. Strikingly, these derivative cells display microenvironment-dependent plasticity with the capacity to restore self-renewal markers and CD44 expression. In the current study, we delineate the distinct gene expression and epigenetic profiles of two such subpopulations, representing extremes of phenotypic heterogeneity in terms of niche-dependent self-renewal and tumorigenic differentiation. By combining Gene Set Enrichment, Gene Ontology and Pathway-focused array analyses with methylation status, we propose a suite of robust differences in tumor self-renewal and differentiation pathways that underlie the striking intratumoral phenotypic heterogeneity which characterize this and other solid tumor malignancies.     

Chronic Oxidative Stress Increases Growth and Tumorigenic Potential of MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells

Accumulating evidence suggests that exposures to elevated levels of either endogenous estrogen or environmental estrogenic chemicals are associated with breast cancer development and progression. These natural or synthetic estrogens are known to produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) and increased ROS has been implicated in both cellular apoptosis and carcinogenesis. Though there are several studies on direct involvement of ROS in cellular apoptosis using short-term exposure model, there is no experimental evidence to directly implicate chronic exposure to ROS in increased growth and tumorigenicity of breast cancer cells. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of chronic oxidative stress on growth, survival and tumorigenic potential of MCF-7 breast cancer cells. MCF-7 cells were exposed to exogenous hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) as a source of ROS at doses of 25 µM and 250 µM for acute (24 hours) and chronic period (3 months) and their effects on cell growth/survival and tumorigenic potential were evaluated. The results of cell count, MTT and cell cycle analysis showed that while acute exposure inhibits the growth of MCF-7 cells in a dose-dependent manner, the chronic exposure to H₂O₂-induced ROS leads to increased cell growth and survival of MCF-7 cells. This was further confirmed by gene expression analysis of cell cycle and cell survival related genes. Significant increase in number of soft agar colonies, up-regulation of pro-metastatic genes VEGF, WNT1 and CD44, whereas down-regulation of anti-metastatic gene E-Cadherin in H₂O₂ treated MCF-7 cells observed in this study further suggests that persistent exposure to oxidative stress increases tumorigenic and metastatic potential of MCF-7 cells. Since many chemotherapeutic drugs are known to induce their cytotoxicity by increasing ROS levels, the results of this study are also highly significant in understanding the mechanism for adaptation to ROS-induced toxicity leading to acquired chemotherapeutic resistance in breast cancer cells.     

ADAMTS proteases and cancer

ADAMTSs (A disintegrin and metalloprotease domains with thrombospondins motifs) are complex extracellular proteases that have been related to both oncogenic and tumor-protective functions. These enzymes can be secreted by cancer and stromal cells and may contribute to modify the tumor microenvironment by multiple mechanisms. Thus, ADAMTSs can cleave or interact with a wide range of extracellular matrix components or regulatory factors, and therefore affect cell adhesion, migration, proliferation and angiogenesis. The balance of protumor versus antitumor effects of ADAMTSs may depend on the nature of their substrates or interacting-partners upon secretion from the cell. Moreover, different ADAMTS genes have been found overexpressed, mutated or epigenetically silenced in tumors from different origins, suggesting the direct impact of these metalloproteases in cancer development. However, despite the important advances on the tumor biology of ADAMTSs in recent years, more mechanistic and functional studies are necessary to fully understand how these proteases can influence tumor microenvironment to potentiate cancer growth or to induce tumor regression. This review outlines current and emerging connections between ADAMTSs and cancer.