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Comelles J, Fernández-Majada V, Acevedo V, Rebollo-Calderon B, Martínez E. Soft topographical patterns trigger a stiffness-dependent cellular response to contact guidance. Mater Today Bio 2023; 19:100593. [PMID: 36923364 PMCID: PMC10009736 DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2023.100593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2022] [Revised: 02/20/2023] [Accepted: 02/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Topographical patterns are a powerful tool to study directional migration. Grooved substrates have been extensively used as in vitro models of aligned extracellular matrix fibers because they induce cell elongation, alignment, and migration through a phenomenon known as contact guidance. This process, which involves the orientation of focal adhesions, F-actin, and microtubule cytoskeleton along the direction of the grooves, has been primarily studied on hard materials of non-physiological stiffness. But how it unfolds when the stiffness of the grooves varies within the physiological range is less known. Here we show that substrate stiffness modulates the cellular response to topographical contact guidance. We find that for fibroblasts, while focal adhesions and actin respond to topography independently of the stiffness, microtubules show a stiffness-dependent response that regulates contact guidance. On the other hand, both clusters and single breast carcinoma epithelial cells display stiffness-dependent contact guidance, leading to more directional and efficient migration when increasing substrate stiffness. These results suggest that both matrix stiffening and alignment of extracellular matrix fibers cooperate during directional cell migration, and that the outcome differs between cell types depending on how they organize their cytoskeletons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordi Comelles
- Biomimetic Systems for Cell Engineering Laboratory, Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Baldiri Reixac 15-21, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Electronics and Biomedical Engineering, University of Barcelona (UB), Martí I Franquès 1, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Vanesa Fernández-Majada
- Biomimetic Systems for Cell Engineering Laboratory, Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Baldiri Reixac 15-21, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.,Department of Pathology and Experimental Therapeutics, University of Barcelona (UB), Feixa Llarga, 08907, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Verónica Acevedo
- Biomimetic Systems for Cell Engineering Laboratory, Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Baldiri Reixac 15-21, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Beatriz Rebollo-Calderon
- Biomimetic Systems for Cell Engineering Laboratory, Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Baldiri Reixac 15-21, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Elena Martínez
- Biomimetic Systems for Cell Engineering Laboratory, Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Baldiri Reixac 15-21, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.,Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red (CIBER), Av. Monforte de Lemos 3-5, Pabellón 11, Planta 0, 28029, Madrid, Spain.,Department of Electronics and Biomedical Engineering, University of Barcelona (UB), Martí I Franquès 1, 08028, Barcelona, Spain
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Myosin Motors: Novel Regulators and Therapeutic Targets in Colorectal Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13040741. [PMID: 33670106 PMCID: PMC7916823 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13040741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2021] [Revised: 02/06/2021] [Accepted: 02/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a deadly disease that may go undiagnosed until it presents at an advanced metastatic stage for which few interventions are available. The development and metastatic spread of CRC is driven by remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton in cancer cells. Myosins represent a large family of actin motor proteins that play key roles in regulating actin cytoskeleton architecture and dynamics. Different myosins can move and cross-link actin filaments, attach them to the membrane organelles and translocate vesicles along the actin filaments. These diverse activities determine the key roles of myosins in regulating cell proliferation, differentiation and motility. Either mutations or the altered expression of different myosins have been well-documented in CRC; however, the roles of these actin motors in colon cancer development remain poorly understood. The present review aims at summarizing the evidence that implicate myosin motors in regulating CRC growth and metastasis and discusses the mechanisms underlying the oncogenic and tumor-suppressing activities of myosins. Abstract Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains the third most common cause of cancer and the second most common cause of cancer deaths worldwide. Clinicians are largely faced with advanced and metastatic disease for which few interventions are available. One poorly understood aspect of CRC involves altered organization of the actin cytoskeleton, especially at the metastatic stage of the disease. Myosin motors are crucial regulators of actin cytoskeletal architecture and remodeling. They act as mechanosensors of the tumor environments and control key cellular processes linked to oncogenesis, including cell division, extracellular matrix adhesion and tissue invasion. Different myosins play either oncogenic or tumor suppressor roles in breast, lung and prostate cancer; however, little is known about their functions in CRC. This review focuses on the functional roles of myosins in colon cancer development. We discuss the most studied class of myosins, class II (conventional) myosins, as well as several classes (I, V, VI, X and XVIII) of unconventional myosins that have been linked to CRC development. Altered expression and mutations of these motors in clinical tumor samples and their roles in CRC growth and metastasis are described. We also evaluate the potential of using small molecular modulators of myosin activity to develop novel anticancer therapies.
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