Figure 1. Cancer stem cells are more invasive through 3D collagen gel than non-stem cancer cells.
A. Individual migration tracks of nuclear positions as cells migrate through collagen towards the serum or EGF gradient (gradient source is to the right). B. Representative images of non-cancer stem cells (left) and cancer stem cells (right) as they migrate through collagen under EGF stimulation conditions. (Scale bars = 25 μm). C. Cell migration through 3D collagen gels was determined by tracking fluorescently labeled nuclei and the velocity was determined. CSCs are indicated with a “+” and non-SCCs are indicated with a “-“. D. The length of the longest protrusion was measured to determine the axial length of a cell as it migrated through the collagen gel. E. The percent nuclear translocation through 3 micron sized pores of a transwell membrane was determined by comparing the number of nuclei that crossed the membrane to the total number of cells plated. (* = P < 0.05, ** = P < 0.01, *** = P < 0.001)