Co-culture model of breast cancer cells and fibroblasts

Articl information
Characteristic Gene Expression Profiles of Human Fibroblasts and Breast Cancer Cells in a Newly Developed Bilateral Coculture System.
Ueno T, Utsumi J, Toi M, Shimizu K.
Biomed Res Int. 2015;2015:960840. PMID: 26171396

Overview
In recent years, it has been suggested that the microenvironment surrounding cancer cells has an effect on cancer occurrence, progression, and treatment response.

Therefore, in this paper, human breast cancer cells were co-cultured with human normal fibroblasts by placing the two cell types to either side of an Atelocollagen Permeable Membrane for 50-mm Dish.

The authors focused on cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), a cell class that accounts for the majority of the microenvironment.

Because the authors knew that cells interact with each other through the extracellular matrix in vivo, the experiments were performed using an Atelocollagen Permeable Membrane that permits co-culturing of cells without direct contact and while maintaining cell polarity.

Microarray analysis after 3 days of co-culture revealed that the expression of TCA circuit-, mitosis-, and cell cycle-related genes was up-regulated in cancer cells, whereas the expression of genes involved in carbohydrate metabolism and in cancer cell infiltration and angiogenesis was elevated in fibroblasts.

These results suggested that CAFs contribute to the survival and proliferation of cancer cells in various ways.

Atelocollagen Permeable Membrane series suitable for co-culture and cell transplantation

Product name
 – Atelocollagen, Permeable Membrane for 50 mm Culture Dish (Cat. No.: MEN-01)
 – Atelocollagen, Permeable Membrane for 6-well Culture Plate (Cat. No.: CM-6)
 – Atelocollagen, Permeable Membrane for 24-well Culture Plate (Cat. No.: CM-24)