A mechanism that cells use to group together and move around the
body - called 'chase and run' - has been described for the first
time by scientists at UCL (University College
London).
The new study focuses on the process that occurs when cancer
cells interact with healthy cells in order to migrate around the
body during metastasis. Scientists know that cancer cells recruit
healthy cells and use them to travel long distances, but how this
process takes place and how it could be controlled to design new
therapies against cancer remains unknown.
Now, using embryonic cells called 'neural crest cells' (which
are similar to cancer cells in terms of their invasive behaviour)
and placode cells which are the precursors for cranial nerves (the
equivalent to healthy cells) researchers at UCL have started to
unravel this process.
They have found that when neural crest cells are put next to
placode cells they undergo a dramatic transformation and start
'chasing' the placode cells. At the same time placode cells exhibit
'escape' behaviour when contacted by neural crest cells. The
chasing behaviour depends on the production of small chemical
molecules by the placode cells that attracts neural crest cells
toward them.
The authors of the study are confident that the process whereby
cancer cells attached to healthy cells in order to migrate around
the body is comparable. Healthy cells of the body try to escape
from tumour cells, but are followed by malignant cells because the
healthy cells produce an attractant for the cancer
cells.
Dr Roberto Mayor of UCL said: "We use the analogy of the donkey
and the carrot to explain this behaviour: the donkey follows the
carrot, but the carrot moves away when approached by the donkey.
Similarly the neural crest cells follow the placode cells, but
placode cells move away when touched by neural crest
cells.
"The findings suggest an alternative way in which cancer
treatments might work in the future if therapies can be targeted at
the process of interaction between malignant and healthy cells to
stop cancer cells from spreading and causing secondary
tumours."
He added: "Most cancer deaths are not due to the formation of
the primary tumour, instead people die from secondary tumours
originating from the first malignant cells, which are able to
travel and colonise vital organs of the body such as the lungs or
the brain."
The paper, Chase-and-run between
adjacent cell populations promotes directional collective
migration, is published in Nature Cell
Biology.