Inhibition of Breast Cancer Progression by Blocking Heterocellular Contact between Epithelial Cells and Fibroblasts
Abstract
In breast cancer progression, the transition from ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) to invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC) is a life-threatening step. This step is accompanied by a dramatic drop in prognosis. Stromal fibroblasts and epithelial cells are separated by a basement membrane (BM) at the early DCIS stage. However, once the BM is disrupted and stromal invasion of epithelial cells is initiated, direct heterocellular contacts between fibroblasts and epithelial cells often occurs. This suggests that the signaling through the heterocellular contact may be a crucial factor in how the invasive progress continues after it is initiated. Accordingly, the objective of this proposal is to investigate the influence of heterocellular contacts between MCF-DCIS cells and human mammary fibroblasts (HMFs) in breast cancer progression by employing a microfluidic-based compartmentalized 3D co-culture platform enabling both contact-free and contact-associated co-cultures.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2012
- Accession Number
- ADA591104
Entities
People
- David J. Beebe :kyung E.
Organizations
- University of Wisconsin–Madison