Figure 5. Transwell® invasion assay of C4-2 PCa cells through a basement membrane (BM) extract.
A) BM extract was incubated in serum free medium either with or without MMP-7 over 18 hrs to replicate the conditions in the Transwell® invasion assay. A western blot using 3135 antibody reveals the same fragmentation pattern as does digestion in the presence of detergents. Images of crystal violet stained C4-2 cells that have entered the Transwell® membrane through (B) BM extract alone, (C) BM extract pre-digested with MMP-7, or (D) BM extract coated and then digested on the plate with MMP-7. E) Quantification of invasion assay on various conditions: 1) BM extract alone; 2) BM extract pre-digested with MMP-7; 3) BM extract coated and then digested with MMP-7. Unpaired student’s t-test comparing to condition 1; *= p value <0.05.