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Updated: Feb 3, 2026

Development of an In Vitro Assay to Evaluate Contractile Function of Mesenchymal Cells that Underwent Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition
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Development of an In Vitro Assay to Evaluate Contractile Function of Mesenchymal Cells that Underwent Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition

Published on: June 10, 2016

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An Application of Photoactivatable Substrate for the Evaluation of Epithelial-mesenchymal Transition Inhibitors

Jun Nakanishi1, Kenji Sugiyama1, Hirotaka Matsuo2,3

  • 1International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (WPI-MANA), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS).

Analytical Sciences : the International Journal of the Japan Society for Analytical Chemistry
|November 6, 2018
PubMed

Insights

This study introduces a novel photoactivatable gold substrate for evaluating epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) inhibitors. The method successfully identified nanaomycin H as a potential EMT inhibitor, aiding cancer drug discovery.

Area of Science:

  • Biotechnology
  • Cancer Research
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) drives cancer invasion and metastasis.
  • Targeting EMT is a key strategy for developing novel anti-cancer drugs.
  • Existing methods for evaluating EMT inhibitors have limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a novel photoactivatable substrate for evaluating EMT inhibitors.
  • To demonstrate the efficacy of this method using a known EMT inhibitor.
  • To screen microbial secondary metabolites for EMT inhibitory activity.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a photoactivatable gold substrate that transitions from non-adhesive to adhesive upon light exposure.
  • Employed geometrical confinement of cell clusters and controlled photoirradiation to induce cell migration.
  • Evaluated EMT inhibitor efficacy by monitoring changes in cluster area and leader cell morphology.

Main Results:

  • Successfully validated the photoactivatable substrate method with a known EMT inhibitor.
  • Identified nanaomycin H from microbial secondary metabolites as a potent EMT inhibitor.
  • Demonstrated nanaomycin H's potential to eliminate disseminated EMT-ed cancer cells.

Conclusions:

  • The photoactivatable gold substrate offers a robust platform for screening EMT inhibitors.
  • Nanaomycin H shows promise as a therapeutic agent against metastatic cancer.
  • This method facilitates the discovery of new anti-cancer drugs targeting EMT.
Keywords:
Collective cell migrationcaged compoundcancerdrug screeningepithelial-mesenchymal transitionleader cellsmechanobiologynanaomycinpatterningtransforming growth factor β

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