Project description:Sustained cell proliferation is a fundamental hallmark of cancer, yet its mechanism remains elusive. While tumor cells often cooperate to enhance survival, the specific molecular forces driving this behavior are unknown. We uncover a novel mechanism of tumor growth, that cancer cells proliferate through a contact-dependent transfer of thymidylate (dTMP) via gap junctions with neighboring cells, bypassing canonical biosynthetic and salvage pathways driven by thymidylate synthase (TS) and thymidine kinase (TK1). Importantly, using a genetic mouse model of lung cancer harboring dual TS/TK1 tumor-specific knockout, we show that cancer cells lacking canonical synthesis maintain proliferation. These findings advance the current dogma of a ubiquitous nucleotide-driven activation in cancer, suggesting that a programmed dTMP re-equilibration sustains tumor growth. This novel mechanism could be exploited in cancer therapy.
Project description:In prokaryotes and eukaryotes, cell-cell communication and recognition of self are critical to coordinate multicellular functions. While kin and kind discrimination are increasingly appreciated to shape naturally occurring microbe populations, the underlying mechanisms that govern these interbacterial interactions are insufficiently understood. Here we identify a mechanism of interbacterial signal transduction that is mediated by contact-dependent growth inhibition (CDI) system proteins. CDI systems have been characterized by their ability to deliver a polymorphic protein toxin into the cytoplasm of a neighboring bacterium, resulting in growth inhibition or death unless the recipient bacterium produces a corresponding immunity protein. Using the model organism Burkholderia thailandensis, we show that delivery of a catalytically active CDI system toxin to immune (self) bacteria results in gene expression and phenotypic changes within the recipient cells. Termed contact-dependent signaling (CDS), this response promotes biofilm formation and other community-associated behaviors.
Project description:In prokaryotes and eukaryotes, cell-cell communication and recognition of self are critical to coordinate multicellular functions. While kin and kind discrimination are increasingly appreciated to shape naturally occurring microbe populations, the underlying mechanisms that govern these interbacterial interactions are insufficiently understood. Here we identify a mechanism of interbacterial signal transduction that is mediated by contact-dependent growth inhibition (CDI) system proteins. CDI systems have been characterized by their ability to deliver a polymorphic protein toxin into the cytoplasm of a neighboring bacterium, resulting in growth inhibition or death unless the recipient bacterium produces a corresponding immunity protein. Using the model organism Burkholderia thailandensis, we show that delivery of a catalytically active CDI system toxin to immune (self) bacteria results in gene expression and phenotypic changes within the recipient cells. Termed contact-dependent signaling (CDS), this response promotes biofilm formation and other community-associated behaviors. Examination of wild-type Burkholderia thailandensis and two mutant strains, each in triplicate (9 samples total). mutant BtEKA contains two amino acid substitutions (E3064A and K3066A) within the coding sequence of gene Bth_I2723. In mutant PS12-WT, the native promoter of gene Bth_I2723 has been replaced with the strong constitutive promoter of the E264 rpsL gene, PS12.
Project description:Triplicate experiments from T98G cells under asynchronously growing, and growth arrest by serum deprivation and contact inhibition.
Project description:We present a mechanistic hybrid continuum-discrete model to simulate the dynamics of epithelial cell colonies. Collective cell dynamics are modeled using continuum equations that capture plastic, viscoelastic, and elastic deformations in the clusters while providing single-cell resolution. The continuum equations can be viewed as a coarse-grained version of previously developed discrete models that treat epithelial clusters as a two-dimensional network of vertices or stochastic interacting particles and follow the framework of dynamic density functional theory appropriately modified to account for cell size and shape variability. The discrete component of the model implements cell division and thus influences cell size and shape that couple to the continuum component. The model is validated against recent in vitro studies of epithelial cell colonies using Madin-Darby canine kidney cells. In good agreement with experiments, we find that mechanical interactions and constraints on the local expansion of cell size cause inhibition of cell motion and reductive cell division. This leads to successively smaller cells and a transition from exponential to quadratic growth of the colony that is associated with a constant-thickness rim of growing cells at the cluster edge, as well as the emergence of short-range ordering and solid-like behavior. A detailed analysis of the model reveals a scale invariance of the growth and provides insight into the generation of stresses and their influence on the dynamics of the colonies. Compared to previous models, our approach has several advantages: it is independent of dimension, it can be parameterized using classical elastic properties (Poisson's ratio and Young's modulus), and it can easily be extended to incorporate multiple cell types and general substrate geometries.
Project description:Neural crest cells are both highly migratory and significant to vertebrate organogenesis. However, the signals that regulate neural crest cell migration remain unclear. Here, we test the function of DAN, a BMP antagonist we detected by analysis of chick cranial mesoderm. Our analysis shows that, prior to neural crest cell exit from the hindbrain, DAN is expressed in the mesoderm, then it becomes absent along cell migratory pathways. Cranial neural crest and metastatic melanoma cells avoid DAN protein stripes in vitro. Addition of DAN reduces the speed of migrating cells, in vivo and in vitro respectively. In vivo loss-of-function of DAN results in enhanced neural crest cell migration by increasing speed and directionality. Computer model simulations support the hypothesis that DAN restrains cell migration by regulating cell speed. Taken together, our results identify DAN as a novel factor that inhibits uncontrolled neural crest and metastatic melanoma invasion and promotes collective migration in a manner consistent with inhibition of BMP signaling.
Project description:Recent studies have demonstrated that mitochondria can be transferred between different cell types to control metabolic homeostasis. However, whether the mitochondria transfer network occurred in the skeletal system or regulate skeletal metabolic homeostasis in vivo is not fully elucidated. Herein, we found that osteolineage cells transfer mitochondria to CD11b+ myeloid, B220+ lymphoid and hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs), of which monocytes/macrophages received the most transferred mitochondria. This process was inhibited by GC treatment contributing to the progression of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIOP). Further analysis demonstrated that osteolineage cells transfer mitochondria to osteoclastic lineage cells via Miro1 mediated direct contact, and altered the glutathione metabolism, leading to the ferroptosis of osteoclastic lineage cells, thus inhibiting osteoclast activities. These findings revealed an unappreciated mechanism of mitochondrial regulation of skeletal metabolic homeostasis via mitochondria transfer and provide new insights of the mechanism of GIOP progression.