Mesenchymal-endothelial nexus in breast cancer spheroids induces vasculogenesis and local invasion in a CAM model.

Interplay between non-cancerous cells (immune, fibroblasts, mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC), and endothelial cells (EC)) has been identified as vital in driving tumor progression. As studying such interactions in vivo is challenging, ex vivo systems that can recapitulate in vivo scenarios can aid in unraveling the factors impacting tumorigenesis and metastasis. Using the synthetic tumor microenvironment mimics (STEMs)-a spheroid system composed of breast cancer cells (BCC) with defined human MSC and EC fractions, here we show that EC organization into vascular structures is BC phenotype dependent, and independent of ERα expression in epithelial cancer cells, and involves MSC-mediated Notch1 signaling. In a 3D-bioprinted model system to mimic local invasion, MDA STEMs collectively respond to serum gradient and form invading cell clusters. STEMs grown on chick chorioallantoic membrane undergo local invasion to form CAM tumors that can anastomose with host vasculature and bear the typical hallmarks of human BC and this process requires both EC and MSC. This study provides a framework for developing well-defined in vitro systems, including patient-derived xenografts that recapitulate in vivo events, to investigate heterotypic cell interactions in tumors, to identify factors promoting tumor metastasis-related events, and possibly drug screening in the context of personalized medicine.