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Updated: May 19, 2026
05:34
A Cancer Cell Spheroid Assay to Assess Invasion in a 3D Setting
Published on: November 20, 2015
Nuclear deformation during breast cancer cell transmigration
Yi Fu1, Lip Ket Chin, Tarik Bourouina
1School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, 639798.
Lab on a Chip
|August 7, 2012
Summary
Cancer cells deform their nuclei to transmigration through capillaries, a key step in metastasis. A novel microfluidic platform revealed this process and identified protein methyltransferase inhibitors as potential therapeutics.
Area of Science:
- Cancer Biology
- Cellular Dynamics
- Microfluidics
Background:
- Cancer metastasis is the primary cause of cancer-related mortality.
- The transmigration of cancer cells through endothelial cells lining capillaries is a poorly understood but critical step in metastasis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mechanisms of cancer cell transmigration across endothelial barriers.
- To develop a microfluidic platform for studying cancer cell dynamics during transmigration.
Main Methods:
- Development of a microfluidic device with microchannels mimicking confined spaces.
- High-resolution live imaging of cancer cell transmigration.
- Assessment of the effect of protein methyltransferase inhibitors on transmigration.
Main Results:
- Nuclear deformation was identified as a critical, rate-limiting step for cancer cell transmigration.
- Highly metastatic human breast cancer cells exhibited significant nuclear deformation.
- Protein methyltransferase inhibitors reduced cancer cell transmigration, suggesting a role for chromatin condensation.
Conclusions:
- Nuclear deformation is essential for cancer cell capillary transmigration.
- Targeting protein methyltransferase may offer a novel therapeutic strategy to inhibit metastasis.
- The developed microfluidic platform is a valuable tool for studying cancer cell invasion and developing new therapies.
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