Establishment of a gastric cancer subline with high metastatic potential using a novel microfluidic system.

Metastasis is an important hallmark of malignant tumors. In this study, we developed a microfluidic system to screen highly metastatic sublines via differential resolution of cell invasiveness. The system was composed of a PDMS-glass device connected with a syringe pump and a Petri dish. To facilitate the selection process, a long-term cell invasion driving force based on a chemotactic factor gradient was created using the Petri dish-based liquid supply pattern, and the invasive cells were collected for round-by-round selection via an open region in the chip. Using the system, we established an SGC-7901/B2 subline from the human gastric cancer SGC-7901 cell line by only two rounds of selection. In vitro assays showed that the SGC-7901/B2 cells were superior to the parental cells in proliferation and invasiveness. Furthermore, an in vivo tumorigenicity assay demonstrated that compared with the parental cells, the subline had stronger spontaneous metastatic and proliferative capability, which led to a shorter survival duration. Additionally, the protein expression differences including E-cadherin and Smad3 between the subline and parental cells were revealed. In conclusion, this microfluidic system is a highly effective tool for selecting highly metastatic sublines, and SGC-7901/B2 cells could serve as a potential model for tumor metastasis research.

Cell-SELEX-based selection of aptamers that recognize distinct targets on metastatic colorectal cancer cells.

The development of diagnostic/therapeutic strategies against metastasis-related molecular targets is critical for improving the survival rate of cancer patients. Subtractive Cell-SELEX was performed using highly metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) LoVo cells and non-metastatic HCT-8 cells as the target and negative cells, respectively, for the selection of metastatic-specific aptamers. This process generated seven aptamers that displayed highly specific binding to the target cells with Kds in the nanomolar range. Based on the distinct chemical/biological properties of their individual cell surface targets, the aptamers were separately functionalized: the receptor-targeting aptamer W14 was used as a carrier for doxorubicin, resulting in the specific delivery of the drug to the target cells and a significant reduction of its cytotoxicity to non-target cells, and the non-receptor-binding aptamer W3 was used as a molecular probe conjugated to quantum dots for the targeted imaging of metastatic cancer cell lines, spontaneous lung metastasis murine tissue, and metastatic CRC patient tissues. In addition, these aptamers can be used in combination due to their lack of detectable mutual-binding interference. The study demonstrates that a panel of aptamers that recognize distinct features of target molecules can be obtained through single Cell-SELEX selection, and the selected aptamers may be individually functionalized for specific applications and/or utilized in combination.