Figure 1.

3D cell cultures provide a more physiologically relevant context for drug screening. (A) Prostate carcinoma (PC-3) cells cultured as 2D monolayer (top) show negligible morphological changes in response to growth factor (20 ng/mL hrEGF) stimulation but become invasive if embedded in 3D hydrogels (bottom) after growth factor stimulation. These invasive characteristics can be used to investigate the efficacy of inhibitors of receptor tyrosine kinases.⁹⁶ Images in the top panel were obtained using a wide-field BD pathway 855 with a 10× objective, and images in the bottom panel were obtained using a Nikon Ti Eclipse confocal microscope with a 20× objective. (B) mIMCD3 cells transduced with a short-hairpin targeting Pkd1 form a monolayer in 2D culture (left panel, BD pathway 855 with 10× objective), but form cysts in 3D hydrogels, representing a more pathophysiologically relevant model of PKD (right panel, Nikon Ti Eclipse confocal microscope with 20× objective).¹⁰⁸ F-actin (rhodamine-phalloidin), red; nuclei (Hoechst 33258), blue.