Nucleoli in epithelial cell collectives respond to tumorigenic, spatial, and mechanical cues.

ABSTRACT: Cancer cells are known to have larger nucleoli, consistent with their higher transcriptional and translational demands. Meanwhile, on stiff extracellular matrix, normal epithelial cells can exhibit genomic and proteomic mechanoactivation toward tumorigenic transformations, such as epithelial-mesenchymal transition and enhanced migration. However, while nucleolar bodies regulate the protein synthesis required for mechanosensation, it remains unknown whether mechanical and spatial extracellular cues can in turn alter nucleoli. Here, we culture mammary epithelial cell sheets on matrices of varying stiffness and show that cancer cells have more nucleoli, with nucleoli occupying larger areas compared with normal cells. By contrast, within normal epithelial sheets, stiffer matrices and leader po

SUBMITTER: Flick Jaecker F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9582805 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature