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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 31: Cell adhesion, mechanics and migration II
BP 31.4: Talk
Wednesday, April 2, 2014, 18:00–18:15, ZEU 250
Speed and nuclear deformations during cancer cell migration through narrow pores — •Christoph Kämmerer1, Lena Lautscham1, Sebastian Lachner1, Amy Rowat2, Carolin Gluth1, and Ben Fabry1 — 1Department of Physics, Biophysics Group, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany — 2Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, UCLA, USA
To metastasize, cancer cells migrate through the narrow pores of the extracellular matrix. To study cell migration and nuclear deformations in narrow pores, we use soft lithography to fabricate a series of channel segments (18µ m length, 3.7µ m height, decreasing width from 10.5−1.7µ m), each separated by a 20x20µ m chamber so that cells can spread and relax between channel crossings. We compare highly invasive HT1080 fibrosarcoma cells with less invasive MDA-MB-231 breast carcinoma cells. Cells are stained with Hoechst 33342 dye to track the speed and shape of the nucleus. For channels >7µ m, cell migration is largely unimpeded. When encountering smaller channels, the cell nucleus stalls while the cell body migrates through the channel. Eventually, the nucleus elongates and enters the channel. Once fully elongated, the nucleus glides through and exits the channel with higher speed. Highly invasive HT1080 cells migrate faster through narrow channels compared to MDA-MB-231 cells. These data show that the nucleus is the principal source of resistance against migration through narrow channels. The stalling of the nucleus when entering a channel, and the speed-up of the nucleus when exiting a channel indicate that cells need to build up traction forces to pull the nucleus along.