By Admin at 24 Feb 2016, 16:33 PM
There are many mysteries surrounding how and why cancerous tumors form, and getting to the bottom of them could one day pave the way for winning the war against cancer. It’s been largely unknown, for instance, why tumors contain a large proportion of healthy cells in addition to cancerous ones.
How the tumors form is also elusive, although it’s been suggested that tumors are the result of cells sticking together. New research published in the American Journal of Cancer Research found that the process is not nearly as passive as this would suggest.
Instead, tumor cells “actively recruit” other cells in a very determined, purposeful process. David Soll, researcher and biology professor at the University of Iowa, told Science Daily:
"It's not like things sticking to each other … It's that these cells go out and actively recruit. It's complicated stuff, and it's not passive. No one had a clue that there were specialized cells in this process, and that it's a small number that pulls all the rest in."
The researchers recorded real time 3-D movements of cancerous human breast tissue cells, which showed that only tumor-forming cells, known as tumorigenic cells, were involved in tumor formation. Also eye-opening was the discovery that as little as 5 percent tumorigenic cells can create a tumor.
The cancerous cells “grab” both healthy and cancerous cells nearby by extending a cellular cable of sorts and drawing them in. Only tumorigenic cells make up the “bridge” between cells. As Soll noted, “The tumorigenic cells know what they're doing. They make tumors."
Researchers are also interested in why tumors form because, as Soll said, “There must be a reason.” Soll believes the tumorigenic cells may have once involved in forming embryos. Science Daily explained:
“If true, perhaps the cancerous cells--masquerading as embryo-forming cells--recruit other cells to make tissue that then forms the layered, self-sustaining architecture needed for a tumor to form and thrive.
Think of a Death Star that's built up enough defenses to ward off repeated attacks. Or, less figuratively, how bacteria can conspire to create an impenetrable film on surfaces, from orthopedic implants to catheters …
"You might want one big tumor capable of producing the tissue it needs to form a micro-environment. It's as if it's building its own defenses against the body's efforts to defeat them," [Soll said].
The study represents the first time cancer cells’ motion and tumor formation has been tracked in real time. The exciting findings may help researchers more precisely identify tumorigenic cells and test antibodies that may be able to eliminate them.
Sources:
American Journal of Cancer Research October 15, 2015
PLOS One March 19, 2015
Health Central January 27, 2016
Science Daily January 26, 2016
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