Identification of an invasive, N-cadherin-expressing epithelial cell type in endometriosis using a new cell culture model

Andreas Zeitvogel, A Zeitvogel, Zeitvogel A, Baumann R, R Baumann, Rudolf Baumann, Starzinski-Powitz A, Anna Starzinski‐Powitz, A Starzinski-Powitz
The American Journal of Pathology · 2001 · vol. 159(5) , pp. 1839–1852 · doi:10.1016/s0002-9440(10)63030-1 · PMID:11696444 · PMC1867070 · W1975047209
Lab / animal OA: green CC0 ⤵ 197 in-corpus citations
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Researchers identified a novel N-cadherin-expressing epithelial cell type in endometriosis using a new cell culture model.

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Abstract

Studies of molecular, cellular, and pathophysiological parameters in endometriosis are primarily hampered by a lack of in vitro model systems, such as endometriotic cell lines. To overcome this we successfully established cell lines from peritoneal endometriotic biopsies and characterized them at the molecular and cellular level. Two types of cells could be transformed: one exhibiting stromal cell features (cytokeratin/E-cadherin-negative), the other epithelial-like (cytokeratin-positive/E-cadherin-negative, invasive in vitro). Using a Matrigel assay the epithelial-like cell lines proved as invasive as metastatic carcinoma cells, possibly through the influence of N-cadherin implicated as a path-finding cadherin allowing cellular invasion and migration in both normal and pathophysiological processes. Our results support the idea that endometriosis, although not neoplastic, shares features with malignant cells and that metastasis in endometriosis may include mechanisms proposed for micrometastasis in cancer. Thus our cell lines will not only be useful tools for analyzing molecular and cellular events relating to endometriosis, but may also represent a paradigm for invasion and metastasis in general.

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Condition tags

endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Cadherins Cytological Techniques Cytological Techniques Endometriosis Endometriosis Biocompatible Materials Biocompatible Materials Cadherins Cadherins Cell Division Cell Division Cell Movement Cell Movement Cell Movement Cells, Cultured Cells, Cultured Collagen Collagen Drug Combinations Drug Combinations

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

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Cited by (50)

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