High cell membrane tension constrains the spread of cancer
Findings will contribute towards cancer treatments that target physical characteristics of cells~

Date:
November 8, 2021
Source:
Kobe University
Summary:
The membranes of cancer cells are more pliant than the membranes of
normal cells. A research collaboration has discovered that cancer
invasion and migration can be supressed in mice by manipulating
the stiffness of the cell membrane. Hopefully this will contribute
towards the development of new treatments that target the physical
characteristics of cancer cells.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
The membranes of cancer cells are more pliant than the membranes of normal cells. A research collaboration has discovered that cancer invasion and migration can be supressed in mice by manipulating the stiffness of the
cell membrane. The research group included Lecturer TSUJITA Kazuya and Professor ITOH Toshiki, both of Kobe University's Biosignal Research
Center, and Lecturer SATOW Reiko and Professor Emeritus FUKAMI Kiyoko
from Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences.


==========================================================================
It is hoped that this finding can be applied to the development of novel
cancer treatments that exploit the physical characteristics of cells.

These research results were published in Nature Communications on October
11, 2021.

* Cancer cell membranes are softer compared to those of normal cells.

* By increasing the membrane tension of cancer cells, the research
group
succeeded in supressing their migration and invasion in a mouse
model.

* This will contribute towards new treatments that target the physical
characteristics of cancer cells.

Metastasis is the major cause of cancer-related deaths. As a cancer cell's malignancy increases, it undergoes amoeba-like structural changes that
enable it to migrate more easily. It moves away from the primary lesion, triggering distant metastasis. In recent years, research has revealed
that these significant changes to cellular structure and motility are controlled by the physical characteristics of the cell itself. In fact,
it has been reported that cancer cells are comparatively 'soft' compared
to normal cells. The connection between changes in a cell's physical characteristics and its malignancy has received much attention. However,
is not known exactly which physical characteristics are related to a
cell's cancerous nature.

In their research, Tsujita et al. used optical tweezers* to pull the cell surface membrane and analyse it, which enabled them to determine that
cancer cells are comparatively softer than normal cells. The firmness
of the cell membrane is regulated by the actin cytoskeletal networks
that attach to it.

This study revealed that in cancer cells, the ERM proteins that maintain
this membrane-actin attachment are dissociated from the cell membrane,
which makes the membrane soft.

By securely attaching ERM proteins to cancer cell membranes, the
researchers were able to restore the membrane-actin attachment so
it resembled that of a normal cell. This caused the cancer cell
membrane to stiffen and prevented abnormal changes in structure and
motility. Furthermore, breast cancer cells with stiffened membranes
lost the ability to spread to the lungs in experiments using a mouse
model. These results indicate that it could be possible constrain the
spread of cancer by manipulating cell membrane tension.

Further Developments The findings of the current research study could lead
to the development of new cancer treatments that exploit the physical characteristics of cancer cells. If the chemical compound that stiffens
cell membranes is discovered, then it may also be possible to utilize
this in effective medication to prevent cancer invasion and migration.

Glossary *Optical tweezers: Optical tweezers are concentrated beams of
laser light that can be used to trap and move microbeads. Attaching these trapped microbeads to the cell membrane and pulling them forms a membrane tether (a string-like structure) enabling the cell membrane tension to
be measured. This functions like a microscopic spring gauge. In 2018,
the development of the optical tweezers was awarded the Nobel Prize
in Physics.

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


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Kazuya Tsujita, Reiko Satow, Shinobu Asada, Yoshikazu Nakamura, Luis
Arnes, Keisuke Sako, Yasuyuki Fujita, Kiyoko Fukami, Toshiki Itoh.

Homeostatic membrane tension constrains cancer cell dissemination
by counteracting BAR protein assembly. Nature Communications,
2021; 12 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-26156-4 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/11/211108094232.htm

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