Long filopodia and tunneling nanotubes define new phenotypes of breast cancer cells in 3D cultures.

ABSTRACT: Cancer cell invasion into the surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM) takes place when cell-cell junctions are disrupted upon epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Both cancer cell-stroma and cell-cell crosstalk are essential to support the continuous tumor invasion. Cancer cells release microvesicles and exosomes containing bioactive molecules and signal peptides, which are recruited by neighboring cells or carried to distant sites, thus supporting intercellular communication and cargo transfer. Besides this indirect communication mode, cancer cells can develop cytoplasmic intercellular protrusions or tunneling nanotubes (TNTs), which allow the direct communication and molecular exchange between connected distinct cells. Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) we show for the first

SUBMITTER: Franchi M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7852320 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature