Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Background
A tumor is considered a heterogeneous complex in a three-dimensional environment that is flush with pathophysiological and biomechanical signals. Cell-stroma interactions guide the development and generation of tumors. Here, we evaluate the contributions of normal fibroblasts to gastric cancer.Methodology/principal findings
By coculturing normal fibroblasts in monolayers of BGC-823 gastric cancer cells, tumor cells sporadically developed short, spindle-like morphological characteristics and demonstrated enhanced proliferation and invasive potential. Furthermore, the transformed tumor cells demonstrated decreased tumor formation and increased lymphomatic and intestinal metastatic potential. Non-transformed BGC-823 cells, in contrast, demonstrated primary tumor formation and delayed intestinal and lymph node invasion. We also observed E-cadherin loss and the upregulation of vimentin expression in the transformed tumor cells, which suggested that the increase in metastasis was induced by epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition.Conclusion
Collectively, our data indicated that normal fibroblasts sufficiently induce epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in cancer cells, thereby leading to metastasis.
SUBMITTER: Xu W
PROVIDER: S-EPMC4028202 | biostudies-literature | 2014
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Xu Wen W Hu Xinlei X Chen Zhongting Z Zheng Xiaoping X Zhang Chenjing C Wang Gang G Chen Yu Y Zhou Xinglu X Tang Xiaoxiao X Luo Laisheng L Xu Xiang X Pan Wensheng W
PloS one 20140520 5
<h4>Background</h4>A tumor is considered a heterogeneous complex in a three-dimensional environment that is flush with pathophysiological and biomechanical signals. Cell-stroma interactions guide the development and generation of tumors. Here, we evaluate the contributions of normal fibroblasts to gastric cancer.<h4>Methodology/principal findings</h4>By coculturing normal fibroblasts in monolayers of BGC-823 gastric cancer cells, tumor cells sporadically developed short, spindle-like morphologic ...[more]