Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 11, 2025

Real-Time Quantitative Measurement of Tumor Cell Migration and Invasion Following Synthetic mRNA Transfection
11:00

Real-Time Quantitative Measurement of Tumor Cell Migration and Invasion Following Synthetic mRNA Transfection

Published on: June 23, 2023

1.3K

Effects of SDF-1/CXCR7 on the Migration, Invasion and Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition of Gastric Cancer Cells

Ameng Shi1, Ting Wang2, Miao Jia2

  • 1Department of Ultrasound, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.

Frontiers in Genetics
|December 3, 2021
PubMed

Insights

The stromal-derived factor 1 (SDF-1)/CXCR7 axis promotes gastric cancer metastasis by enhancing cell migration, invasion, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Suppressing CXCR7 may inhibit gastric cancer spread.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Previous studies identified the SDF-1/CXCR7 axis's role in gastric cancer growth and proliferation.
  • The impact of SDF-1/CXCR7 on gastric cancer cell metastasis and underlying mechanisms required further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the effects of the SDF-1/CXCR7 axis on the metastatic potential of gastric cancer cells.
  • To elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which SDF-1/CXCR7 influences gastric cancer cell invasion and migration.

Main Methods:

  • Stable knockdown of CXCR7 in SGC-7901 gastric cancer cells using lentiviral vectors.
  • Assessment of cell migration and invasion via Transwell assays.
  • Analysis of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-2, MMP-9), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers, and Akt phosphorylation using real-time PCR and Western blot.

Main Results:

  • SDF-1 significantly increased gastric cancer cell migration and invasion, while CXCR7 knockdown attenuated these effects.
  • SDF-1/CXCR7 axis upregulated MMP-2, MMP-9, and VEGF expression.
  • SDF-1/CXCR7 promoted epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) by downregulating E-cadherin and upregulating N-cadherin, vimentin, and Snail.
  • SDF-1/CXCR7 enhanced Akt phosphorylation.

Conclusions:

  • The SDF-1/CXCR7 axis plays a crucial role in enhancing gastric cancer cell migration, invasion, and EMT.
  • CXCR7 suppression presents a potential therapeutic strategy to inhibit gastric cancer metastasis.
Keywords:
chemokine (CXC motif) receptor 7 (CXCR7)epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)gastric cancerinvasionmigration

More Related Videos

Analysis of Cell Migration within a Three-dimensional Collagen Matrix08:02

Analysis of Cell Migration within a Three-dimensional Collagen Matrix

Published on: October 5, 2014

23.9K
Induction of Mesenchymal-Epithelial Transitions in Sarcoma Cells11:42

Induction of Mesenchymal-Epithelial Transitions in Sarcoma Cells

Published on: April 7, 2017

9.6K

Related Concept Videos

Cancer Cell Migration through Invadopodia01:35

Cancer Cell Migration through Invadopodia

Invadosome is a broad category of cell surface structures with proteolytic activity that  degrades the extracellular matrix (ECM). Invadosomes are present in normal cell types, including macrophages, endothelial cells, and neurons, as well as tumor cells. Although the macrophage podosomes and tumor cell invadopodia are classified as invadosomes, they have different structures, molecular pathways, and functions. Podosomes are short structures that last for a few minutes. However,...
2.5K
Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration01:32

Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration

A migrating cell changes its shape during the cyclic events of attachment and detachment from the substratum and repositions the cell organelles correspondingly. These complex events are orchestrated by the dynamic cytoskeletal network comprising actin filaments, intermediate filaments, and microtubules. Cytoskeletal crosstalk — the direct and indirect communication between the different components — is crucial for this coordination. Direct communication involves various linker...
4.9K
Chemotaxis and Direction of Cell Migration01:21

Chemotaxis and Direction of Cell Migration

Cells can detect chemical cues in their environment and reorganize the cytoskeleton to migrate toward them or away from them. This directional migration, called chemotaxis, is essential during embryogenesis and development, immune response, tissue repair and regeneration, and reproduction. These chemical cues can either attract or repel the cell's movement. For example, axon development is determined by a combination of chemoattractants and chemorepellents that direct the growing axon...
3.7K
Cell Migration01:19

Cell Migration

Cell migration is a process by which the cells move from one location to another, playing an essential role in embryological development, repair and regeneration, immune response, and metastasis. Cells migrate in response to chemical or mechanical signals generated by specific organs or tissues. The overall mechanism includes three steps - polarization, protrusion, and release. Polarization involves the formation of a distinct cell front and rear, which determines the direction of movement.
5.3K
Mitogens and the Cell Cycle02:38

Mitogens and the Cell Cycle

Mitogens and their receptors play a crucial role in controlling the progression of the cell cycle. However, the loss of mitogenic control over cell division leads to tumor formation. Therefore, mitogens and mitogen receptors play an important role in cancer research. For instance, the epidermal growth factor (EGF) - a type of mitogen and its transmembrane receptor (EGFR), decides the fate of the cell's proliferation. When EGF binds to EGFR, a member of the ErbB family of tyrosine kinase...
7.0K
Gastrulation01:56

Gastrulation

Gastrulation establishes the three primary tissues of an embryo: the ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm. This developmental process relies on a series of intricate cellular movements, which in humans transforms a flat, “bilaminar disc” composed of two cell sheets into a three-tiered structure. In the resulting embryo, the endoderm serves as the bottom layer, and stacked directly above it is the intermediate mesoderm, and then the uppermost ectoderm. Respectively, these tissue strata...
60.6K