SHORT-RANGE PARACRINE INTERACTIONS REVEALED IN A COMPARTMENTALIZED CO-CULTURE SCREENING PLATFORM

We investigate tumor-stromal paracrine crosstalk by using microfabricated comb substrates [1], which maintain two cell populations in separate compartments but at very close proximity. We screen for cell-specific changes in gene expression during co-culture and our data suggest that tumor-stromal paracrine interactions regulate cancer stem cell and epithelial-mesenchymal-transition (EMT) markers in the tumor population. More importantly we find evidence for shortrange paracrine interactions that cannot be detected using traditional approaches such as conditioned media transfer or Transwell culture inserts.