Figure 2
From: A novel orthotopic mouse model of head and neck cancer and lymph node metastasis
USC-HN3-GFP-G1 cell line highly metastatic and the resultant USC-HN3-GFP-G2 cell line demonstrating changes consistent with EMT. (a) Fluorescent and bright light microscopy of representative xenograft mouse demonstrating primary tumor of the tongue (A1, A2), local invasion of the neck (B1, B2) and regional metastasis in gallbladder (C1, C2) of the USC-HN3-GFP-G1 cell line after 4 weeks. The respective organs were dissected and pictures were taken on bright light and fluorescent imaging as shown in the lower panels. Tongue (D1, D2), muscle and gland (E1, E2), lung (F1, F2) and liver (G1, G2). (b) Bright light and fluorescent microscopy demonstrating purified metastatic USC-HN3-GFP-G2 cell line from LN in culture developing increasingly spindle-shaped morphology consistent with EMT. P2 and P5 indicate passages of cell culture. (c) Immunofluorescence demonstrating progressive downregulation of surface β-catenin and E-cadherin in the USC-HN3-GFP-G1 and USC-HN3-GFP-G2 cell lines compared with the USC-HN3-GFP cell line. The merge pictures of β-catenin and E-cadherin are shown in the lower panels. DAPI, 4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole.
