Visualizing Pericyte Mimicry of Angiotropic Melanoma by Direct Labeling of the Angioarchitecture.

In addition to intravascular dissemination, angiotropic melanoma cells have the propensity to spread along the external surface of blood vessels in a pericytic location, or pericytic mimicry. Such continuous migration without intravasation has been termed "extravascular migratory metastasis" or EVMM. In order to visualize this mechanism of tumor propagation, we used a murine brain melanoma model utilizing green fluorescent human melanoma cells and red fluorescent lectin-tagged murine vessels.

Regeneration Enhances Metastasis: A Novel Role for Neurovascular Signaling in Promoting Melanoma Brain Metastasis.

Neural repair after stroke involves initiation of a cellular proliferative program in the form of angiogenesis, neurogenesis, and molecular growth signals in the surrounding tissue elements. This cellular environment constitutes a niche in which regeneration of new blood vessels and new neurons leads to partial tissue repair after stroke. Cancer metastasis has similar proliferative cellular events in the brain and other organs.

CCR5 Is a Therapeutic Target for Recovery after Stroke and Traumatic Brain Injury.

We tested a newly described molecular memory system, CCR5 signaling, for its role in recovery after stroke and traumatic brain injury (TBI). CCR5 is uniquely expressed in cortical neurons after stroke. Post-stroke neuronal knockdown of CCR5 in pre-motor cortex leads to early recovery of motor control.