RNAseq of B16F10 melanoma CD31+ cells

Intravasation, vascular dissemination and metastasis of malignant tumor cells require their passage over the vascular wall which is commonly composed of pericytes (mural cells) and the endothelial cell barrier. We currently decided to investigate the relative contribution of these cell types for B16F10 melanoma metastasis in mice using an experimental model of Shb gene inactivation. RNAseq of tumor endothelial cells from these mice revealed changes in cellular components such as adherens junctions and focal adhesions by gene ontology analysis that were in line with the observed effects on leakage and junction morphology. Endothelial cells from B16F10 melanomas grown on wild type mice (N=4 ) and mice with Shb conditionally inactivated in endothelial cells (N=6) were isolated and subjected to RNAseq comparison.