Figure 2.

Invasive breast adenocarcinoma MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 and poorly metastatic breast cancer MCF-7 cells exhibited enhanced localization of cortactin to peripheral cellular structures and potentiated invasive activity in presence of THP-1 macrophages. (A, B and C) Macrophages stimulated formation of functional invadopodia in MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-468 and MCF-7 cells as revealed by enhanced localization of cortactin to peripheral cellular structures and greater number of cortactin positive puncta overlying foci of matrix degradation in cancer cells co-cultured with macrophages [C+M] as compared to cells that were cultured alone [C]. (D, E and F) Representative images from the in vitro cell invasion assay. The matrigel transvasation assay (MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-468 and MCF-7) revealed a significant increase in the invasive capacity of co-cultured [C+M] (24 h) cancer cells. Bars represent mean invasive cell count ±SE (*p < 0.05.). All the experiments were done in triplicates and repeated at least thrice. Abbreviations—C: Respective cancer Cells; C+M: Respective cancer cells co-cultured with macrophages.