Figure 6

Reduced cancer cell cluster size correlated with reduced attachment in liver perfusion experiments. (a) Quantification of clustering of AsPC-1 control (Ctrl) cells by image analysis of the counting chambers after being detached with either dispase II or trypsin. Both bar graphs: n = 4 independent cell preparations. Cells in clusters: two-tailed unpaired t test. Cluster size: two-tailed Mann–Whitney test. (b) Mouse perfusion experiments with wild-type (wt) mouse livers and AsPC-1 control cells after detachment of cells with either dispase II or trypsin. The number of tumor cells per perfused liver cell was determined using flow cytometry. n = 4 (dispase II) and 3 (trypsin) livers, two-tailed unpaired t test. (c) In vivo tail vein injection of AsPC-1 GFP⁺ cells as depicted on the left. After 45 days of metastasis growth, the lungs were dissociated and the percentage of GFP⁺ cancer cells was analyzed by flow cytometry. n = 3 mice per group, two-tailed unpaired t test.