Transmembrane motility assay of transiently transfected cells by fluorescent cell counting and luciferase measurement

Current in vitro assays used in assessing tumor motility could be improved by the development of a simple technique that would facilitate studies of t he impact of specific genes on pharmacologically altered chemotaxis. We dev eloped a technique that improves on the classic transwell assay by using fl uorescence and luminescence to assess chemotaxis. In this transient transfe ction system, co-transfection of a reporter construct and a gene with an un known impact on motility are coupled with biochemical assays to quantitate the number of cells that have received a transferred gene, which subsequent ly, crosses the membrane. This assay was found to be less variable than the conventional transwell chamber and is easily adaptable to studies of cell motility or cell invasion. We also demonstrate that this assay can detect t he effect of both genetic and pharmacological inhibition of motility alone and in combination. It therefore has the potential to reveal additive or sy nergistic effects.