• Burst of rapid cell motion in 3D tumor m

    From ScienceDaily@1:317/3 to All on Wednesday, March 16, 2022 22:30:42
    Burst of rapid cell motion in 3D tumor model
    Researchers discover phenomenon to help explain cancer metastasis

    Date:
    March 16, 2022
    Source:
    University of Go"ttingen
    Summary:
    Biological processes such as wound healing and cancer cell invasion
    rely on the collective and coordinated motion of living cells. A
    little understood aspect that influences these processes is the
    pressure differences within and between different parts of the
    body. Researchers designed model tumor systems using cervical
    cancer cells in collagen matrices to investigate whether pressure
    differences can push cancer cells into their surroundings. Upon
    embedding the model tumors into a soft matrix, an increased
    pressure led to a sudden burst of rapid and coordinated cellular
    motion that sprayed outwards from the tumor.



    FULL STORY ========================================================================== Biological processes such as wound healing and cancer cell invasion
    rely on the collective and coordinated motion of living cells. A little understood aspect that influences these processes is the pressure
    differences within and between different parts of the body. Researchers
    from Go"ttingen University and Mu"nster University designed model
    tumour systems using cervical cancer cells in collagen matrices to
    investigate whether pressure differences can push cancer cells into
    their surroundings. Upon embedding the model tumours into a soft matrix,
    an increased pressure led to a sudden burst of rapid and coordinated
    cellular motion that sprayed outwards from the tumour. Their results
    were published in Advanced Science.


    ==========================================================================
    The researchers designed their model system using clumps of cervical
    cancer cells in simple 3D tissues that they could control, enabling
    them to systematically study the behaviour of the cells in different
    pressures and environments. Usually, individual cells exert forces on
    their environment in order to move, and collective motion is coordinated
    by cell-to-cell forces because they stick and clump together. However,
    this new model allowed the researchers to measure other mechanisms
    that encourage cellular movement such as pressure differences between
    different regions within the body.

    Using imaging techniques that allowed the scientists to follow the tumour deformation even at the level of a single cell, the researchers discovered
    that increased pressure in a soft matrix drove coordinated cellular motion independent of cell-to-cell stickiness by triggering cell swelling. Eight
    hours after the 3D clumps of cervical cancer cells were embedded in soft collagen matrices, they burst out in a sudden rapid stream of cancer
    cells. This fluid- like pushing mechanism exhibits high cell velocities
    and a sudden super- spreading motion like water spraying from a hose when
    you press your thumb over the top. In fact, the rapid burst seemed to kill about 80% of the cells but surprisingly the remaining cells succeeded
    in embedding in the same environment over the following four days, and multiplied. "This signified that after the initial burst, the remaining
    live cells could still divide substantially and migrate. Importantly,
    when this happens in a person's body, this can prove to be extremely
    dangerous, often beating current cancer treatments," explains Professor
    Timo Betz, Biophysics Institute, University of Go"ttingen.

    Tumour models embedded in a stiffer collagen did not behave in the
    same way. In fact, even after seven days, there was a complete absence
    of bursts, showing that the pressure difference in the tissue was the
    important part of the effect. The only way that researchers could trigger
    the "cell burst" in stiffer collagen was by introducing weak spots in
    specific regions.

    In this newly observed phenomenon, cell swelling in groups increased the intrinsic pressure that pushed the cancer cells out into less resistant
    regions of the matrix. "Such pressure-driven effects may provide primary tumours in the body an exceptional advantage: it enables them to breach
    the first membrane barrier and gives them the opportunity to spread
    to other parts of the body, or metastasize," says Betz. He adds: "This
    provides new evidence that pressure- driven effects should be considered
    to help us better understand the mechanical forces involved in cell and
    tissue movement as well as cancer cell invasion.

    Understanding this cellular mass movement is fundamental for describing
    and treating cancer and similar illnesses."

    ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Go"ttingen. Note:
    Content may be edited for style and length.


    ========================================================================== Journal Reference:
    1. Swetha Raghuraman, Ann‐Sophie Schubert, Stephan Bro"ker,
    Alejandro
    Jurado, Annika Mu"ller, Matthias Brandt, Bart E. Vos, Arne
    D. Hofemeier, Fatemeh Abbasi, Martin Stehling, Raphael Wittkowski,
    Johanna Ivaska, Timo Betz. Pressure Drives Rapid Burst‐Like
    Coordinated Cellular Motion from 3D Cancer Aggregates. Advanced
    Science, 2022; 9 (6): 2104808 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202104808 ==========================================================================

    Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220316132648.htm

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