Induction of multicellular 3‐D spheroids of MCF‐7 breast carcinoma cells by neutrophil‐derived cathepsin G and elastase

In tumor metastasis, multicellular aggregates of tumor cells form and disseminate into the blood or lymph vessels from the tumor mass, following the formation of tumor cell emboli in distant vessels. However, the mechanism by which aggregates form in the tumor mass is unknown. Neutrophils often exist in tumors and are considered to affect tumor development. We observed that neutrophils had the capacity to induce the aggregation of MCF‐7 human breast carcinoma cells adhering to culture substrates. When MCF‐7 cells were cultured with rat inflammatory neutrophils, the soluble fraction of their lysate, and the conditioned medium of neutrophils stimulated with N‐formyl‐Met‐Leu‐Phe plus cytochalasin B, multicellular aggregates formed within 16 h, and tightly aggregated 3‐D spheroids formed when the cultures were prolonged. The spheroid‐inducing reaction was reversible and energy‐dependent. The MCF‐7 cells induced to aggregate by the neutrophil extract showed growth potential, although the growth rate of the cells was slightly reduced. The aggregation was dependent on E‐cadherin, because the spheroids dispersed into isolated cells on incubation with EGTA or anti‐E‐cadherin antibody following pipetting. The aggregation‐inducing activity in neutrophils was completely inhibited by soybean trypsin‐chymotrypsin inhibitor. Moreover, the commercially available human neutrophil elastase and cathepsin G induced the aggregation of MCF‐7 cells and formation of spheroids. The proteases secreted by infiltrated neutrophils in tumors are implicated in the dissemination of tumor aggregates from primary tumor sites. ( Cancer Sci 2005; 96: 560 –570)