Molecular interactions of breast cancer cells with the microenvironment of the bone marrow

Tumor cells such as breast cancer (BC) cells preferentially metastasize to bone, commonly leading to the formation of osteolytic lesions. There is evidence that the bone marrow stroma plays a crucial role in the homing of disseminated tumor cells. However, the molecular interactions leading to bone tropism are not well understood. Cell adhesion and cell migration assays using BC cell lines were performed to analyze the influence of bone marrow components on the cellular functions of the tumor cells. Cell-matrix adhesion assays revealed a strong attachment of different BC cell lines to several extracellular matri…