blister and Breast-Neoplasms

The knowledge of cell mechanics is required to understand cellular processes and functions, such as the movement of cells, and the development of tissue engineering in cancer therapy. Cell mechanical properties depend on a variety of factors, such as cellular environments, and may also rely on external factors, such as the ambient temperature. The impact of temperature on cell mechanics is not clearly understood. To explore the effect of temperature on cell mechanics, we employed magnetic tweezers to apply a force of 1 nN to 4.5 µm superparamagnetic beads. The beads were coated with fibronectin and coupled to human epithelial breast cancer cells, in particular MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. Cells were measured in a temperature range between 25 and 45 °C. The creep response of both cell types followed a weak power law. At all temperatures, the MDA-MB-231 cells were pronouncedly softer compared to the MCF-7 cells, whereas their fluidity was increased. However, with increasing temperature, the cells became significantly softer and more fluid. Since mechanical properties are manifested in the cell's cytoskeletal structure and the paramagnetic beads are coupled through cell surface receptors linked to cytoskeletal structures, such as actin and myosin filaments as well as microtubules, the cells were probed with pharmacological drugs impacting the actin filament polymerization, such as Latrunculin A, the myosin filaments, such as Blebbistatin, and the microtubules, such as Demecolcine, during the magnetic tweezer measurements in the specific temperature range. Irrespective of pharmacological interventions, the creep response of cells followed a weak power law at all temperatures. Inhibition of the actin polymerization resulted in increased softness in both cell types and decreased fluidity exclusively in MDA-MB-231 cells. Blebbistatin had an effect on the compliance of MDA-MB-231 cells at lower temperatures, which was minor on the compliance MCF-7 cells. Microtubule inhibition affected the fluidity of MCF-7 cells but did not have a significant effect on the compliance of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. In summary, with increasing temperature, the cells became significant softer with specific differences between the investigated drugs and cell lines.

Topics: Actins; Biomechanical Phenomena; Breast Neoplasms; Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic; Cell Line, Tumor; Demecolcine; Female; Fibronectins; Heterocyclic Compounds, 4 or More Rings; Humans; Magnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles; MCF-7 Cells; Microtubules; Temperature; Thiazolidines

Breast cancer nuclei have highly irregular shapes, which are diagnostic and prognostic markers of breast cancer progression. The mechanisms by which irregular cancer nuclear shapes develop are not well understood. Here we report the existence of vertical, apical cell protrusions in cultured MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Once formed, these protrusions persist over time scales of hours and are associated with vertically upward nuclear deformations. They are absent in normal mammary epithelial cells (MCF-10A cells). Microtubule disruption enriched these protrusions preferentially in MDA-MB-231 cells compared with MCF-10A cells, whereas inhibition of nonmuscle myosin II (NMMII) abolished this enrichment. Dynamic confocal imaging of the vertical cell and nuclear shape revealed that the apical cell protrusions form first, and in response, the nucleus deforms and/or subsequently gets vertically extruded into the apical protrusion. Overexpression of lamin A/C in MDA-MB-231 cells reduced nuclear deformation in apical protrusions. These data highlight the role of mechanical stresses generated by moving boundaries, as well as abnormal nuclear mechanics in the development of abnormal nuclear shapes in breast cancer cells.

Topics: Breast Neoplasms; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Nucleus; Cytochalasin D; Cytoskeleton; Female; Heterocyclic Compounds, 4 or More Rings; Humans; Nocodazole; Stress, Mechanical; Tubulin Modulators

Tolerogenic dendritic cells (tDCs) play important roles in immune tolerance, autoimmune disease, tissue transplantation, and the tumor micro-environment. Factors that induce tDCs have been reported, however the intracellular mechanisms involved are rarely discussed.. Circulating CD14(+)CD16(+) of breast cancer patients and induced CD14(+)CD16(+) DCs were identified as tDCs by treating CD14(+) monocytes with galectin-1 and cancer cell-derived medium combined with IL-4 and GM-CSF. In addition, the 4T1 breast cancer syngeneic xenograft model was used to investigate the effect of galectin-1 in vivo.. The CD14(+)CD16(+) tDC population in the breast cancer patients was comparatively higher than that in the healthy donors, and both the MDA-MB-231 conditioned medium and galectin-1 could induce tDC differentiation. In a BALB/c animal model, the 4T1 breast cancer cell line enhanced IL-10 expression in CD11c(+) DCs which was down-regulated after knocking down the galectin-1 expression of 4T1 cells. Analysis of galectin-1 interacting proteins showed that myosin IIa was a major target of galectin-1 after internalization through a caveolin-dependent endocytosis. Myosin IIa specific inhibitor could diminish the effects of galectin-1 on monocyte-derived tDCs and also block the 4T1 cell induced CD11c(+)/Ly6G(+)/IL-10(+) in the BALB/c mice.. Galectin-1 can induce tDCs after internalizing into CD14(+) monocytes through the caveolae-dependent pathway and activating myosin IIa. For the breast cancer patients with a high galectin-1 expression, blebbistatin and genistein show potential in immune modulation and cancer immunotherapy.. Myosin IIa activation and galectin-1 endocytosis are important in tumor associated tDC development.

Topics: Animals; Breast Neoplasms; Cell Differentiation; Dendritic Cells; Endocytosis; Female; Galectin 1; Heterocyclic Compounds, 4 or More Rings; Humans; Immune Tolerance; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Nonmuscle Myosin Type IIA

The enhanced migration found in tumor cells is often caused by external stimuli and the sequential participation of cytoskeleton-related signaling molecules. However, until now, the molecular connection between the lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) receptor and nonmuscle myosin II (NM II) has not been analyzed in detail for LPA-induced migration. Here, we demonstrate that LPA induces migration by activating the LPA(1) receptor which promotes phosphorylation of the 20 kDa NM II light chain through activation of Rho kinase (ROCK). We show that LPA-induced migration is insensitive to pertussis toxin (PTX) but does require the LPA(1) receptor as determined by siRNA and receptor antagonists. LPA activates ROCK and also increases GTP-bound RhoA activity, concomitant with the enhanced membrane recruitment of RhoA. LPA-induced migration and invasion are attenuated by specific inhibitors including C3 cell-permeable transferase and Y-27632. We demonstrate that NM II plays an important role in LPA-induced migration and invasion by inhibiting its cellular function with blebbistatin and shRNA lentivirus directed against NM II-A or II-B. Inhibition or loss of either NM II-A or NM II-B in 4T1 cells results in a decrease in migration and invasion. Restoration of the expression of NM II-A or NM II-B also rescued LPA-induced migration. Taken together, these results suggest defined pathways for signaling through the LPA(1) receptor to promote LPA-mediated NM II activation and subsequent cell migration in 4T1 breast cancer cells.

Topics: Amides; Animals; Breast Neoplasms; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Movement; Enzyme Inhibitors; Female; Heterocyclic Compounds, 4 or More Rings; Lysophospholipids; Mice; Myosin Light Chains; Pertussis Toxin; Phosphorylation; Pyridines; Receptors, Lysophosphatidic Acid; rho-Associated Kinases; rhoA GTP-Binding Protein; RNA, Small Interfering; Signal Transduction

Human MCF-7/6 breast cancer cells differ from their MCF-7/AZ counterparts by their invasiveness in a number of assays in vitro, such as invasion of MCF-7 spheroids into embryonic chick heart fragments or type I collagen gels. Comparative proteomic analysis of these two variants revealed an identical pattern, except for a 230 kDa protein present in the invasive MCF-7/6 variant, but hardly detectable in the non-invasive MCF-7/AZ one. This protein appeared to be the non-muscle myosin IIA heavy chain (NMIIA), also coined MYH9. Experimental inhibition of NMIIA by reducing either its expression (via stable shRNA transduction) or its function (via the specific ATPase inhibitor blebbistatin) underpinned the decisive role of NMIIA in MCF-7 cell invasion. Inhibition of NMIIA indeed blocked the invasion of MCF-7/6 cells in three-dimensional invasion substrata such as embryonic chick heart fragments and type I collagen gels. Invasiveness of MCF-7/6 cells has been related to poor formation and compaction of aggregates, due to a functionally defective E-cadherin/catenin complex. Both genetic and pharmacological inhibition of NMIIA stimulated MCF-7/6 cell aggregation. Together, these data indicate that NMIIA is a decisive protein for MCF-7 cells to invade, indicating that this molecule is a candidate for targeted anti-invasive treatment.

Topics: Animals; Base Sequence; Breast Neoplasms; Cell Aggregation; Cell Line, Tumor; Chick Embryo; Female; Gene Knockdown Techniques; Heterocyclic Compounds, 4 or More Rings; Humans; Molecular Motor Proteins; Myosin Heavy Chains; Neoplasm Invasiveness; RNA, Small Interfering; Spheroids, Cellular; Tumor Stem Cell Assay

The migration of cells is a complex regulatory process which results in the generation of motor forces through the reorganization of the cytoskeleton. Here we present a comparative study of the expression and involvement of myosin in the regulation of the physiological migration of leukocytes and the pathological migration of tumor cells. We show that the involvement of myosin in the migration is distinct in these two cell types. In leukocytes, the activity of non-muscle myosin II is essential for both the spontaneous (matrix-induced) migration and the migration induced by ligands to G protein-coupled receptors, i.e. chemokines and neurotransmitters. In contrast, spontaneous tumor cell migration is largely independent of non-muscle myosin II activity, whereas the norepinephrine-induced migration is completely inhibited by either direct inhibition of non-muscle myosin II or of the kinases phosphorylating the myosin light chain, namely ROCK or the calcium/calmodulin-dependent myosin light-chain kinase.

Topics: Actins; Breast Neoplasms; Cell Movement; Collagen; Female; Heterocyclic Compounds, 4 or More Rings; Humans; Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; Leukocytes; Male; Myosin Type II; Myosin-Light-Chain Kinase; Norepinephrine; Phosphorylation; Prostatic Neoplasms; Protein Isoforms; Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases; rho-Associated Kinases; T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic; Tumor Cells, Cultured