Fig. 1
The impact of CIC-TEX on CD44v6kd and Tspan8kd tumor growth and progression. a-c Nude mice received GFP-transfected A818.4 CIC on the left upper back and/or A818.4-v6kd cells on the right upper back. a Mean tumor diameter ± SD (3mice/group); b,c mean percent GFP+, GFP + marker+ and marker+ (v6, Tsp8, EpC) cells was evaluated at autopsy (flow-cytometry); a-c significant differences between mice receiving only CD44v6kd cells and mice receiving a contralateral injection of CIC-GFP: s. d,e Nude mice received an ot injection of 1 × 106 wt or v6kd or Tsp8kd cells and weekly 200 μg/mouse CIC-TEX, iv; d survival time and mean survival time of 6 and 5, respectively, mice/group; p-values comparing wt versus kd tumor and kd tumor depending on CIC-TEX application are indicated. e The indicated organs, collected at autopsy, were dispersed and maintained in culture to observe tumor cell outgrowth; p-values (Kruskal-Wallis after Bonferroni-Holm correction) for the total No of organs with disseminated tumor cells are indicated comparing wt versus kd TB mice and CIC-TEX-treated kd TB mice. After reaching a mean tumor diameter of ~ 0 .5cm, CIC assist the growth of v6kd Non-CIC, likely via delivery of TEX. The shortened survival time and the increase in disseminated tumor cells of v6kd TB mice receiving CIC-TEX supports this assumption