Cripto-1 enhances migration and branching morphogenesis of mouse mammary epithelial cells |
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Authors: | Wechselberger C Ebert A D Bianco C Khan N I Sun Y Wallace-Jones B Montesano R Salomon D S |
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Institution: | Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology, Tumor Growth Factor Section, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Building 10, Room 5B39, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA. |
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Abstract: | Cripto-1 is an EGF-CFC protein that performs an important role during early vertebrate development and is overexpressed in several types of human cancer. In the present study mouse EpH4, NMuMG, and TAC-2 mammary epithelial cells that are negative for endogenous cripto-1 expression were transfected with the murine cripto-1 cDNA. Cripto-1-transfected cell lines exhibited functional and physiological differences from the original cell lines including enhanced anchorage-independent growth in soft agar (EpH4 cells), growth in serum-free medium, increased proliferation, and formation of branching, duct-like structures when grown in a three-dimensional collagen type I matrix. Furthermore, cripto-1-expressing cell lines showed elevated migration in vitro in Boyden chamber and wound-healing assays. These results indicate that cripto-1 can function through an autocrine pathway that enables mammary epithelial cells to undergo an epithelial to mesenchymal transition. |
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