L9 - invasion and metastasis Flashcards
What are the steps in the invasion-metastasis cascade?
- primary tumour formation
- localised invasion
- intravasation
- extravasation
- micrometasis
- colonisation
Do cancer cells have a high metastatic efficiency?
No. It is very difficult for a single cell to complete all steps of the metastatic cascade
What is EMT?
The process whereby cells lose epithelial-cell like properties and become more mesenchymal in nature. It is crucial for cells that need to become motile
What are the two modes of migration seen in cancer cells?
Single cell migration
- ameboid-like or mesenchymal-like
Collective cell migration
- linear strands or sheets
Can cancer cells switch between modes of migration?
Yes, this makes it difficult to design anti-metastatic drugs. Better targeting master regulators of migration
What is the role of p53 in cell migration?
In p53 null mice there is limited metastasis. In particular mutant forms of p53 there is an increase in metastasis. p53 usually acts to prevent loss of cell-cell junctions and opposes EMT
What do cells need to lose in order to migrate?
Cytokeratin expression, tight & adherens junctions involving E-cads, epithelial cell polarity, epithelial g.e.
What must cells acquire to migrate/ gain a mesenchymal phenotype?
Fibroblast-like shape
Motility and invasiveness
Mesenchymal gene expression
Protease secretion and vimentin expression
What is migration plasticity?
The ability of cancer cells to switch between different modes of migration
