Invasive Lung Cancer Cells Degrade Extracellular Matrix

Invasive Lung Cancer Cells Degrade Extracellular Matrix

Submitted by Carman Man Chung Li of the Jacks Lab at the Koch Institute

MIT Department of Biology, Koch Institute at MIT

Carman Man Chung Li
Jacks Lab, Koch Institute
Epi-Fluorescence Micrograph

"These images show that cancer cells can behave differently in terms of their ability to degrade their surrounding tissues. In these images, invasive (right) and non-invasive (left) lung cancer cells are cultured on a green fluorescently labeled extracellular matrix, but only the invasive cells are able to degrade the matrix, leaving behind focal black patches.  I was very excited when I first saw these images with my eyes through the microscope, as I was starting my project as a new graduate student in the lab. The difference between the invasive and non-invasive cells is dramatic. I am currently studying the molecular mechanism that differentiates the invasiveness of these cells."

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