Here, we present an experimental model for human luminal progenitor cells that enables single, primary cells isolated from normal tissue to generate complex branched structures resembling the ductal morphology of low-grade carcinoma of no special type (NST). Thereby, we find that ductal structures are generated through invasive branching morphogenesis via matrix-remodeling and identify reduced actomyosin contractility as a prerequisite for invasion. In addition, we show that knockout of E-cadherin causes a dissolution of duct formation as observed in invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC), a subtype of invasive carcinomas where E-cadherin function is frequently lost. Thus, our model shows that invasive capacity can be elicited from normal luminal cells in specific environments which results in low-grade NST morphology. This assay offers a platform to investigate the dynamics of luminal cell invasion and unravel the impact of genetic and non-genetic aberrations on invasive morphology.
GrantsGerman Cancer Aid foundation(Integrate-TN) German Cancer Aid foundation(Deutsche Krebshilfe) German Cancer Aid foundation (Max Eder Program) Khaled group (Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge)