@article{ThibaudeauTaubenbergerTheodoropoulosetal.2015,
  author    = {Thibaudeau, Laure and Taubenberger, Anna V. and Theodoropoulos, Christina and Holzapfel, Boris M. and Ramuz, Olivier and Straub, Melanie and Hutmacher, Dietmar W.},
  title     = {New mechanistic insights of integrin β1 in breast cancer bone colonization},
  series = {Oncotarget},
  volume    = {6},
  journal   = {Oncotarget},
  number    = {1},
  doi       = {10.18632/oncotarget.2788},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-175432},
  pages     = {332-344},
  year      = {2015},
  abstract  = {Bone metastasis is a frequent and life-threatening complication of breast cancer. The molecular mechanisms supporting the establishment of breast cancer cells in the skeleton are still not fully understood, which may be attributed to the lack of suitable models that interrogate interactions between human breast cancer cells and the bone microenvironment. Although it is well-known that integrins mediate adhesion of malignant cells to bone extracellular matrix, their role during bone colonization remains unclear. Here, the role of β1 integrins in bone colonization was investigated using tissue-engineered humanized in vitro and in vivo bone models. In vitro, bone-metastatic breast cancer cells with suppressed integrin β1 expression showed reduced attachment, spreading, and migration within human bone matrix compared to control cells. Cell proliferation in vitro was not affected by β1 integrin knockdown, yet tumor growth in vivo within humanized bone microenvironments was significantly inhibited upon β1 integrin suppression, as revealed by quantitative in/ex vivo fluorescence imaging and histological analysis. Tumor cells invaded bone marrow spaces in the humanized bone and formed osteolytic lesions; osteoclastic bone resorption was, however, not reduced by β1 integrin knockdown. Taken together, we demonstrate that β1 integrins have a pivotal role in bone colonization using unique tissue-engineered humanized bone models.},
  language  = {en}
}
@article{ThibaudeauTaubenbergerHolzapfeletal.2014,
  author    = {Thibaudeau, Laure and Taubenberger, Anna V. and Holzapfel, Boris M. and Quent, Verena M. and Fuehrmann, Tobias and Hesami, Parisa and Brown, Toby D. and Dalton, Paul D. and Power, Carl A. and Hollier, Brett G. and Hutmacher, Dietmar W.},
  title     = {A tissue-engineered humanized xenograft model of human breast cancer metastasis to bone},
  series = {Disease Models \& Mechanisms},
  volume    = {7},
  journal   = {Disease Models \& Mechanisms},
  number    = {2},
  doi       = {10.1242/dmm.014076},
  url       = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-117466},
  pages     = {299-309},
  year      = {2014},
  abstract  = {The skeleton is a preferred homing site for breast cancer metastasis. To date, treatment options for patients with bone metastases are mostly palliative and the disease is still incurable. Indeed, key mechanisms involved in breast cancer osteotropism are still only partially understood due to the lack of suitable animal models to mimic metastasis of human tumor cells to a human bone microenvironment. In the presented study, we investigate the use of a human tissue-engineered bone construct to develop a humanized xenograft model of breast cancer-induced bone metastasis in a murine host. Primary human osteoblastic cell-seeded melt electrospun scaffolds in combination with recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein 7 were implanted subcutaneously in non-obese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient mice. The tissue-engineered constructs led to the formation of a morphologically intact 'organ' bone incorporating a high amount of mineralized tissue, live osteocytes and bone marrow spaces. The newly formed bone was largely humanized, as indicated by the incorporation of human bone cells and human-derived matrix proteins. After intracardiac injection, the dissemination of luciferase-expressing human breast cancer cell lines to the humanized bone ossicles was detected by bioluminescent imaging. Histological analysis revealed the presence of metastases with clear osteolysis in the newly formed bone. Thus, human tissue-engineered bone constructs can be applied efficiently as a target tissue for human breast cancer cells injected into the blood circulation and replicate the osteolytic phenotype associated with breast cancer-induced bone lesions. In conclusion, we have developed an appropriate model for investigation of species-specific mechanisms of human breast cancer-related bone metastasis in vivo.},
  language  = {en}
}