GROUNDBREAKING RESEARCH Light shed on the mechanism behind cancer metastasis
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A study of melanoma cells, an aggressive type of skin cancer, has uncovered important parts of the process by which cancer cells change shape to help them spread throughout the body, or metastasize. Cancer metastasis is difficult to treat and causes over 90% of cancer-related deaths.
Chris Marshall, ICR Professor of Cell Biology and Oncogene Team Leader, led the team behind this exciting discovery. Team member Dr. Victoria Sanz-Moreno discovered how two proteins called Rac and Rho are controlled. These control mechanisms determine whether cells have a round or elongated shape and how the cells move. This behavior is thought to be shared by other types of cancer cell.
Professor Marshall explains; "These alternate shapes and ways of moving may enable tumor cells to deal with different situations during cancer spread. For example, our work indicates that a round shaped tumor cell may have more durability to survive in our bloodstream than elongated shaped tumor cells."
The team continues to work to elucidate other components involved in pathways that send messages within and between cells that control cancer cell shape, motility and invasion.
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