Surface activity of cancer cells: the fusion of two cell aggregates

TL;DR

This paper investigates the surface activity of cancer cells during the fusion of cell aggregates, highlighting differences in cellular rearrangement mechanisms compared to healthy cells and exploring the role of adhesion and contractility.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed analysis of cancer cell surface activity during aggregate fusion, emphasizing the impact of adhesion crosstalk and contractility on cellular rearrangements.

Findings

Cancer cells reduce surface tension during fusion.

Healthy epithelial cells undergo volumetric rearrangement.

Cancer cell surface activity is driven by adhesion crosstalk and contractility.

Abstract

Although a good comprehension of how cancer cells collectively migrate by following molecular rules which influence the state of cell-cell adhesion contacts has been generated, the impact of collective migration on cellular rearrangement from subcellular to supracellular level remains less understood. Thus, considering collective cell migration (CCM) of cancer mesenchymal cells on one side and healthy epithelial cells on the other during the fusion of two cell aggregates could result in a powerful tool in order to address the contribution of structural changes at subcellular level which influence the cellular rearrangements and help to understand this important, but still controversial topic. While healthy epithelial cells undergo volumetric cell rearrangement driven by the tissue surface tension, which results in a collision of opposite directed velocity front near the contact point between two cell aggregates, mesenchymal cells follow quite different scenario. These cells are capable of reducing the surface tension and undergo surface cell rearrangement. The main goal of this contribution is to discuss the origin of surface activity of cancer cells by accounting for the crosstalk between cell-cell and cell-ECM adhesion contacts influenced by the cell contractility.