Figure 6.
FAP-high, but not FAP-low, CAFs promote in vivo tumor growth and metastasis. (A) Spheroids of luciferase-expressing OVCAR8 cells alone or combined with FAP-high or FAP-low CAFs were generated as for invasion assays. After 72 h of spheroid formation, individual spheroids were implanted into the mammary fat pads of NSG mice. Tumor growth was monitored over time using the Xenogen IVIS Imaging System 100. Representative images of a single mouse from each condition over time are shown. All mice were exposed for the same amount of time to allow visualization of differences in tumor size over time. (B) Quantification of luciferase signal, normalized to an unimplanted mouse over a period of 8 wk. Data are presented as mean ± SEM, n = 5–10 (animals in which tumors failed to grow were not included). **, P < 0.01 versus control group, linear regression. (C) Average tumor sizes in each group at 8 and 11 wk after implantation. Numbers above the bars indicate the number of mice with metastases over the total number of tumor-bearing mice in each group. Data are presented as mean ± SEM, n = 5–10. FH, FAP high; FL, FAP low; ns, not significant.