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Updated: Apr 6, 2026
Real-Time Detection and Capture of Invasive Cell Subpopulations from Co-Cultures
Published on: March 30, 2022
MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells overexpressing single VEGF isoforms display distinct colonisation characteristics
Melanie Di Benedetto1,2, Aurore Toullec3,4,5, Hélène Buteau-Lozano3,4,5
1Université Paris 13, A Avenue JB Clément, Villetaneuse, Paris, France.
Background:
Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a multifunctional cytokine that has important roles in angiogenesis. Our knowledge of the significance of VEGF isoforms in human cancer remains incomplete.
Methods:
Bioluminescence imaging and transcriptomic analysis were used to study the colonisation capacity of the human breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231 controlling or overexpressing the VEGF165 or VEGF189 isoform (named cV-B, V165-B and V189-B, respectively) in nude mice.
Results:
When injected into the bloodstream, V189-B cells induced less metastasis in the lungs and bone than V165-B and cV-B control cells, consistent with longer survival of these mice and delay in tumour uptake in the mice injected with a V189-B clone. Histological analysis confirmed that there were less αSMA-positive cells in the lungs of the mice injected with V189-B. In vitro V189-B cells decreased both cell invasion and survival. Using transcriptomic analysis, we identified a subset of 18 genes expressed differentially between V189 and V165 cell lines and in 120 human breast tumours. V165 was associated with poor prognosis, whereas V189 was not, suggesting a complex regulation by VEGF isoforms. Our results showed a negative correlation between the expression pattern of VEGF189 and the levels of expression of seven genes that influence metastasis.
Conclusion:
Our findings provide the first evidence that VEGF isoforms have different effects on breast cancer cell line colonisation in vivo.
