Ovarian Cancer pp 355-368 | Cite as
Analysis of EMT by Flow Cytometry and Immunohistochemistry
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Abstract
Ovarian cancer stem cells (OCSCs) are in a transitional phase between epithelial and mesenchymal cell stages. Consequently, OCSCs possess a high degree of plasticity that complicates their identification and characterization. However, we recently demonstrated that the combined assessment of key antigens associated with cancer stem cells and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition can distinguish the phenotype of OCSCs from more differentiated cells. In this chapter we describe in detail an appropriate sample preparation for the analysis of epithelial, mesenchymal, and cancer stem cell markers by flow cytometry and immunohistochemistry in ovarian cancer. Furthermore, we provide methods for the establishment of primary ovarian cancer cultures from solid tumors.
Key words
EMT Ovarian cancer Ovarian cancer stem cells Flow cytometry Immunohistochemistry E-cadherinNotes
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Danish Cancer Society, NIH grants R01 CA080192, R01 HLA078836, and the Pacific Ovarian Cancer Research Consortium/Specialized Program of Research Excellence in Ovarian Cancer Grant P50 CA83636.
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