Dresden 2026 – scientific programme
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 12: Cytoskeleton I
BP 12.6: Talk
Tuesday, March 10, 2026, 11:15–11:30, BAR/0205
Hold on tight no matter what! How cholesterol and cytoskeletal fibers affect microtentacles formation. — •Enrique Colina Araujo1,2, Lucina Kainka1,2, and Franziska Lautenschläger1,2,3 — 1Department of Experimental Physics, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, 66123, Germany — 2Center for Biophysics, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, 66123, Germany — 3Max Planck School, Matter to Life, Heidelberg, 69120, Germany
Following the formation of a primary tumor, cancer cells in the outer areas may detach and undergo an epithelial-to-mesenchymal (EMT) transition, enabling them to migrate and colonize new tissues, ultimately leading to metastasis. Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) play a key role during this invasion. Invasion can only occur after CTCs have attached to the blood vessel wall and extravasated from the bloodstream. Recent work suggests that such adhesion is mediated by microtubule (MT)-based membrane protrusions, known as microtentacles (McTNs). However, it remains unclear how McTNs protrude from the CTC and how they facilitate cell adhesion. In this work, we analyzed McTN formation in MDA-MB-231 cells. Using the actin depolymerizing drug latrunculin A and the cholesterol-depleting drug methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MβCD), we show that McTNs growth results from a reorganization of the actin cortex into areas of high actin concentration as well as from variations in cholesterol distribution in the plasma membrane of CTCs. Furthermore, McTNs' adhesion is integrin-based. Integrin-β-2 is evenly distributed across the surface of McTN, enabling adhesion at every potential contact with the blood vessel walls.
Keywords: Cancer; Cytoskeleton; Microtubules; Microtentacles; Cholesterol