Some melanoma cancer cells may punch their way through the body
Source: Science News, July 2024
Imagine tiny fists punching their way through your body.
For some cancer patients, this may be the reality. Melanoma cells can mechanically tunnel their way through tissue using fleshy membrane protrusions without the need for chemicals that chew up the environment, researchers report June 12 in Developmental Cell.
Cells have various modes of movement (SN: 9/26/18). Some deform their bodies to squeeze through tight spaces; others build out anchors to haul themselves forward, hacking their way through with proteins that chemically erode surrounding tissue. Though researchers knew melanoma cells could form bumps that help them move, computational cell biologist Gaudenz Danuser and colleagues set out to clarify how these protrusions do their job.