Publications
Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany)Oct 2022 |
e2203515
DOI:
10.1002/smll.202203515

Cell-Taxi: Mesenchymal Cells Carry and Transport Clusters of Cancer Cells

Zarubova, Jana; Hasani-Sadrabadi, Mohammad Mahdi; Norris, Sam C P; Majedi, Fatemeh Sadat; Xiao, Crystal; Kasko, Andrea M; Li, Song
Product Used
Genes
Abstract
Cell clusters that collectively migrate from primary tumors appear to be far more potent in forming distant metastases than single cancer cells. A better understanding of the collective cell migration phenomenon and the involvement of various cell types during this process is needed. Here, an in vitro platform based on inverted-pyramidal microwells to follow and quantify the collective migration of hundreds of tumor cell clusters at once is developed. These results indicate that mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) or cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) in the heterotypic tumor cell clusters may facilitate metastatic dissemination by transporting low-motile cancer cells in a Rac-dependent manner and that extracellular vesicles secreted by mesenchymal cells only play a minor role in this process. Furthermore, in vivo studies show that cancer cell spheroids containing MSCs or CAFs have faster spreading rates. These findings highlight the active role of co-traveling stromal cells in the collective migration of tumor cell clusters and may help in developing better-targeted therapies.
Product Used
Genes

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