Figure 6: Photothermal ablation of leader cells.

(a) Photothermal ablation to disrupt leader cells at the leading edge. Leader cells (green arrows) were first identified using dsLNA targeting Dll4 mRNA and ablated using a 1,064-nm fibre laser coupled with GNRs internalized in the cells. Formation of new leader cells was monitored for 12 h after leader cells being disrupted. Results are from three independent experiments. Scale bar, 50 μm. (b) Expression of the Dll4 mRNA in selective cells numbered in a. Pixel intensity data are expressed as the mean±s.e.m. (c) Effects of leader cell ablation and the migration speed of the leading edge. Data are expressed as mean±s.e.m. (n=3).