Fig. 1

Macroscopic and microscopic aspects of liver metastases derived from CMT-93. Macroscopic overview of metastatic growth 4 weeks following implantation of CMT-93 cells via the portal vein in syngeneic C57BL/6NCrl mice (treatment group). Explanted livers were sliced for macroscopic assessment (a) and subjected to H&E staining (b, c). Liver metastases represented a moderately differentiated colorectal adenocarcinoma revealing complex glandular structures (50–75% gland formation) in a desmoplastic stroma. Subpanel d depicts the results of immunolabelling to detect ß-catenin (the inlay illustrates the mostly cytoplasmic location of expression) and e confirms E-cadherin, both markers indicative of the glandular structures. The dedifferentiated/mesenchymal differentiation was identified by staining with anti-vimentin (g) and anti-CD44 (f). Ki-67 was used as a proliferation marker as illustrated in h Scales are as indicated