MIT News breed · Wetenschap

Epithelial Cells Exhibit Synchronized Pulsing, With Malignant Cells Showing Longer Durations

MIT engineers have discovered that migrating epithelial cells can synchronize and collectively pulse, moving in and out rhythmically. This cellular dance was observed in healthy, benign tumor, and cancerous cells, with malignant cells exhibiting significantly longer periods of synchronization.

Epithelial cells, which form protective linings in the body, play crucial roles in embryonic development, wound healing, and can become malignant, leading to cancer. Researchers observed groups of these cells repeatedly contracting and expanding, akin to a coordinated dance.

The study measured this collective rhythmic pulsing across various epithelial cell types. Surprisingly, malignant epithelial cells demonstrated more persistent synchronization, pulsing together for twice as long as healthier cells. The exact reason for this synchronization remains unclear, but scientists hypothesize it could serve as an early clinical indicator of a tumor's potential to spread.

Ming Guo, a professor at MIT, suggests that the steadier and more persistent rhythm of aggressive cancer cells compared to healthy ones could act as a warning sign for metastasis. This coordinated wave-like movement might also be involved in shaping embryos and closing wounds.

The research team focused on the temporal aspect of cellular movements, culturing healthy epithelial cells in the lab and observing their natural migration patterns over 30 hours using time-lapse microscopy. They noted a distinct pulsing pattern where cells would converge and then move apart, with each pulse lasting about an hour.

Experiments with human breast cancer epithelial cells, including those from benign and increasingly malignant tumors, revealed similar synchronized pulsing, particularly pronounced in the most cancerous cells. These highly malignant cells synchronized and oscillated together for extended periods, potentially aiding their invasive capabilities.

A correlation was also found between cell synchronization and density. As cell numbers increased, so did the synchronization, up to a certain point, after which the pulsing diminished. This observation is relevant to conditions like asthma, where epithelial cells in the airways are less able to pack together tightly.

The researchers propose that understanding the link between cell density and synchronization could lead to new therapeutic strategies. For instance, monitoring how potential drugs affect asthma cell synchronization or disrupt the synchronization of malignant cancer cells could offer novel approaches for drug screening and treatment.

AI-samenvatting op basis van de bron.