
Cancer Cells Move And Metastasize Migration Bodily Function
10.1.2023 | 02:16
Cell migration, which is the way cells move within our bodies. Vital for normal bodily function as well as the progression of diseases. Cell movement helps body parts grow in the proper position during early development, heal wounds and tumors to be metastatic.
In the last century, the way that scientists understood cell movement was limited to the effect of biochemical signals. Also known as the process of chemotaxis that allows cells to go from one area to another. For instance, a particular kind of immune cell referred to as neutrophil is able to move. Toward regions within the body that contain more of a protein known as IL-8. This protein increases in the course of the course of infection.
Acknowledge The Cells Importance
In the last 2 or 3 decades researchers have begun to acknowledge the importance of the physical. Or mechanical factors that play an important role in cell movement. For instance, mammary epithelial cell – the cells that line the milk ducts within the breast. Move towards regions of increased stiffness when placed on surfaces with an increasing stiffness gradient.
Instead of focusing solely on the impact on cells solid environment of cells researchers are focusing their attention on studying their fluid environment. As a mathematician who has who trained in applied mathematics I make use of mathematical models to comprehend the mechanics behind the biology of cells. My coworkers Sean X. Sun as well as Konstantinos Konstantopoulos as well as myself were among the first scientists to have discovered the ways in which the pressure of hydraulics and water influence cell migration using experimental models in the lab and theoretical. In our recent research we have discovered that the human breast cancer cells movement enhanced by velocity and flow of fluids around them, which reveals one of the elements that influence the way tumors spread.
How Do Fluids Influence Cells Migration
The cells in our body have constant exposure to liquids with various physical characteristics. Water is one of these fluids that influences cell movement. We have found that the way in which water flows through the breast cancer cells affects how they move and spread. This is because the volume of water flowing into and out of cells can cause it to contract or expand which causes movement, causing it to move cells to different areas.
The viscosity or thickness of bodily fluids can vary between organs and also from health to disease and can influence cell movement. For instance the fluid that found between tumor cells is viscous than fluid that flows between the normal cells of healthy tissue. We compared the speed at which cancerous breast cells move through closed channels filled with normal viscosity with fluid of high viscosity, we discovered that cells that were in high-viscosity channels, contrary to what we expected, increased speed by an impressive 40 percent. This was a surprise because the fundamental principles of physics suggest that particles that are inert should decrease in high viscosity fluids because of the increased resistance.
We set out to discover the reason behind this unexpected outcome. We identified the molecules that involved and discovered an array of events that allows high-viscosity environments to increase cell mobility.
Protein Filaments
The results showed that high viscosity fluids start to promote the development of protein filaments known as actin. These filaments create channels in the cell’s membrane, and also increase the intake of water. The cell expands in response to the water, which activates a second channel that absorbs calcium Ions. These calcium ions stimulate another kind of protein filament known as myosin which triggers cells to move. The resulting cascade of events causes cells to alter their structure and produce more force to overcome the obstacles created by high viscosity fluid. In other words, that the cells aren’t really totally inert.
Additionally, we discovered the cell retain memory after exposure to the medium with high viscosity. It was evident that if you placed cells in a high-viscosity medium for a few days. And then return them to a medium with a normal viscosity and they still moved at a greater speed. The method by which cells keep the memory is an unanswered question.
We then wondered if our findings about viscous memory will be valid in all animals, not just within Petri dishes. Therefore, we put human cancerous cell in a high-viscosity medium over six days before. We put them into a normal medium of viscosity. The cell then injected into mice and chicken embryos.
Our results in line with the previous study the same: cell exposed to a viscosity-high medium showed a higher capacity. To penetrate surrounding tissues and grow metastasize as compared to cells that not exposed. This finding suggests that the viscosity of fluids that surround a cell’s environment. Acts as a mechanobiological signal which encourages cancer cells metastasize.
Implications For Treatment For Cells Cancer
Patients suffering from cancer usually do not die from the initial cancer’s source. However, they die from the spread of the tumor to other areas of the body.
When cancerous cells traverse in the body, they moved into spaces with varying fluid viscosity. Knowing how fluid viscosity affects the motion of cancer cell. Can help scientists discover ways to improve treatment and identify cancer before it spreads.
It is the next stage to create methods for analysis and imaging to analyze precisely the way. That cell from different types of lab animals react to changes in viscosity of fluids. The identification of the substances that control the way cell react when viscosity changed. May assist researchers in identifying drugs that could used to stop cancer’s spread.
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