FIGURE 5.

Expression of Cx43 significantly reduces melanoma growth within a keratinocyte-based microenvironment. A, melanomas were co-cultured with keratinocytes at a 1:5 ratio and allowed to grow for 6 days. Under phase contrast imaging, melanoma clusters were identifiable (dashed lines), and their melanoma phenotype was confirmed in engineered cell lines because of the expression of GFP. B, the area of all melanoma clusters for a given field was measured, and Cx43-expressing melanomas were found to occupy ∼4.5-fold less area than controls (n = 40; *, p < 0.05). Bar, 200 μm.