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Figure 3 | BMC Cancer

Figure 3

From: Metastatic behaviour of primary human tumours in a zebrafish xenotransplantation model

Figure 3

Tumour transplantation in zebrafish. Primary human tumours of the pancreas, the stomach and the colon were transplanted into 2 dpf embryos. Non-tumour tissue was used as control. At the respective time points indicated laser confocal microscopy images were taken. Images A and B show newly transplanted embryos with normal pancreas (NP) and pancreatic tumour (PT) respectively. Image C shows an example of an embryo transplanted with an adenocarcinoma of the pancreas at 1 day post transplantation (dpt) in which tumour cells have already invaded the embryo. Images D to G are confocal microscopy images of transplanted embryos at 1 dpt and 3 dpt. Normal, non-transformed pancreas transplants remain in the yolk and cells never migrate or spread in the embryo (D and F). In contrast, tumour transplants show metastatic behaviour (E and G). Some of the cell masses are marked with arrows, including one formed near the retina of the eye (G). On the bottom an example is shown for brain metastases of a transplanted gastric cancer (stomach tumour) in a Tg(fli1:eGFP) zebrafish 3 days after implantation(H). Cell masses are visible in the rhombencephalon (hindbrain) surrounding the otic capsule and near the gill arches (H). A colon tumour transplant shows a migrated tumour cell in the caudal vein region at 3 dpt (I). Both pictures (H and I) were taken by confocal microscopy. HE staining of representative histological sections of normal human pancreas tissue (J) and pancreatic cancer (K) are shown. Scales shown are in A-E: 300 μm; F, G: 400 μm; in H: 100 μm and in I: 20 μm.

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