Cancer mutual aid
Scientists have learned how mutated cells trigger the development of cancer
Svetlana Maslova, Hi-tech+
The researchers conducted experiments on mini-organs to find out why some damaged cells form into a tumor, while others – the same damaged ones – do not provoke cancer. Understanding how the disease is formed, it is possible to develop new cancer treatment options, scientists are sure.
Mutated cells must be located next to each other to start the process of forming a malignant tumor, scientists from Germany have found out. Their conclusions are based on the results of experiments on mammary gland organoids that were grown from mouse cells.
Article by Alladin et al. Tracking cells in epithelial acini by light sheet microscopy reveals proximity effects in breast cancer initiation published in the journal eLife – VM.
Scientists have created such models of the organ, where it was possible to consistently trace the fate of individual mutated cells that activated oncogenes that contribute to the development of the tumor. To do this, scientists added a cancer-causing gene to the model and began to observe the process.
For four days, every 10 minutes, the scientists recorded changes in the samples. It turned out that the cells forming malignant tumors were usually located together. On the contrary, in the samples without signs of cancer, the cells were more dispersed.
The presence of a specific gene significantly increased the risk of developing the disease, and each additional cell with an oncogene increased the likelihood of cancer by 10 times.
"Our results show that there is an interaction or signal transmission between malignant cells that are close in location to each other, which then determines the development of the tumor," concluded study co–author Martin Jechlinger.
The opportunity to clarify the fate of these single cells means that now there is a way to determine the beginning of tumor formation, track the process of its growth, as well as experiment with treatment on a realistic model, he added.
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