Selective evolutionary pressure shapes the processes and genes that enable cancer survival and expansion in a tumour-suppressive environment. A distinguishing lethal feature of malignant cancer is its dissemination and seeding of metastatic foci. A key requirement for this process is the acquisition of a migratory/invasive ability. However, how the migratory phenotype is selected for during the natural evolution of cancer and what advantage, if any, it might provide to the growing malignant cells remain open issues. In this opinion piece, we discuss three possible answers to these issues. We will examine lines of evidence from mathematical modelling of cancer evolution that indicate that migration is an intrinsic selectable property of malignant cells that directly impacts on growth dynamics and cancer geometry. Second, we will argue that migratory phenotypes can emerge as an adaptive response to unfavourable growth conditions and endow cells not only with the ability to move/invade, but also with specific metastatic traits, including drug resistance, self-renewal and survival. Finally, we will discuss the possibility that migratory phenotypes are coincidental events that emerge by happenstance in the natural evolution of cancer.
Is cell migration a selectable trait in the natural evolution of cancer development? / A. Disanza, S. Bisi, E. Frittoli, C. Malinverno, S. Marchesi, A. Palamidessi, A. Rizvi, G. Scita. - In: PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS - ROYAL SOCIETY. BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES. - ISSN 0962-8436. - 374:1779(2019 Jul 01).
Titolo: | Is cell migration a selectable trait in the natural evolution of cancer development? |
Autori: | |
Parole Chiave: | cell migration, endocytosis, collective motility, cancer evolution |
Settore Scientifico Disciplinare: | Settore MED/04 - Patologia Generale |
Data di pubblicazione: | 1-lug-2019 |
Rivista: | |
Tipologia: | Article (author) |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI): | http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2018.0224 |
Appare nelle tipologie: | 01 - Articolo su periodico |
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