| Objective:To evaluate the distribution of various size subpopulations and investigate the effects of cell size on metastasis in colorectal cancer.Methods:We conducted Flow Cytometry cell sorting to separate large(LCs) and Small(SCs) subpopulations in two colorectal cancer cell lines(Lo Vo,HT-29) and human xenograft colorectal cancer cell(xh CRC).The diameters of two subpopulations were measured under light microscopy.Transwell invasion assay and lung metastasis model in BALB/c-nu and NOD/SCID mice were performed to measure the metastatic ability.Kaplan Curve from a database was used to depict the relationship between the expression of Yap1 and prognosis in clinical colorectal patients.Western blot and realtime PCR were performed to test the expression of MMP2 and Yap1.Results:Colorectal cancer was composed of different size subpopulations.Transwell assay showed SCs possessed greater invasion capacity than LCs in vitro. Lung metastasis models showed SCs subpopulation formed more metastases in lung.Expression of Yap1 and MMP2 in LCs were much lower than SCs. The expression of Yap1 colorectal carcinoma was negatively correlated with overall survival probability in colorectal carcinoma patients.Conclusions:In colorectal carcinoma, neoplasm mass is composed of SCs subpopulation and LCs subpopulation, SCs possess stronger metastatic capacity than LCs. |
