Abstract A41: Cancer cells invade or divide, not both

Invasive cancer cells are a critical target for chemotherapy. However most chemotherapeutic agents in clinical use target dividing cancer cells. Cancer cell-cycle kinetics were visualized in Gelfoam histoculture using a fluorescence ubiquitination cell cycle indicator (FUCCI), whereby quiescent cancer cells express mKusabira-Orange fluorescent protein (red) and proliferating cells express mAzami-Green fluorescent protein (green). Real-time imaging demonstrated that cancer cells in G0/G1 phase are invasive and disseminate in Gelfoam histoculture. In vivo, FUCCI-expressing cancer cells were in G0/G1 phase when they metastasized to the liver. Disseminated cancer cells in the peritoneal cavity were also in G0/G1 phase. Most drugs currently in use target cells in S/G 2/M, which may not be capable of invasion. Color-coded cell-cycle imaging in Gelfoam histoculture should provide a novel platform for the rapid screening of candidate therapeutic agents against quiescent invasive cancer cells. Citation Format: Shuya Yano, Sumiyuki Mii, Yasunori Tome, Yukihiko Hiroshima, Fuminari Uehara, Shinji Miwa, Robert M. Hoffman. Cancer cells invade or divide, not both. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Tumor Invasion and Metastasis; Jan 20-23, 2013; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(3 Suppl):Abstract nr A41.