Figure 8. CRP2 promotes breast cancer metastasis.

A. Implantation of control (sh-) and CRP2-depleted (shCRP2a) MDA-MB-231-Luc cells (1×10⁶) to the lungs of athymic nu/nu female mice was immediately controlled by bioluminescence imaging after tail vein injection. B. Typical lung metastatic lesions observed after 5 weeks with white light (four left panels) and fluorescence microscopy to detect GFP (cell transduction marker; four right panels). Lower panels are magnifications corresponding to the above white rectangles. Asterisks indicate some extended metastatic lesions. C. Number of lung metastatic lesions in sh- and shCRP2a xenograft mice (n = 8 and 9, respectively). Data are presented as standard box plots with whiskers from minimum to maximum values. D. Extensively necrotized lung of one sh- mouse. E.-G. Metastases at other sites than lungs observed in sh- mice, including a hind leg (E; the image corresponds to the excised tumor), the brain (F) and the liver (G). The lower panels show the corresponding GFP (cell transduction marker) signals. H.-K. Orthotopic tumor model. Control (sh-) and CRP2-depleted (shCRP2a) MDA-MB-231-Luc cells (5×10⁵) were implanted in a mammary fat pad of NOD scid gamma mice (n = 5 and 6, respectively). H. Bioluminescence imaging showing typical and similar signals at the primary tumor site in sh- and shCRP2a xenograft mice (19 days after tumor cell implantation). I. Primary tumor volume. J. and K. Typical lung metastases (J) and number of lung metastatic lesions (K) 20 days after tumor cell implantation. Error bars denote standard error. Significant levels: *: p < 0.05. Bars = 5 mm.