Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 13, 2026
11:40
A Co-culture Method to Investigate the Crosstalk Between X-ray Irradiated Caco-2 Cells and PBMC
Published on: January 30, 2018
ANXA2 remodels the microstructures of caco2 cells.
1Department of Cell Biology, College of Life Sciences, Shaanxi Normal University, Shaanxi, China.
Cellular and Molecular Biology (Noisy-Le-Grand, France)
|March 26, 2013
Summary
Excessive expression of Annexin A2 (ANXA2) enhances cancer malignancy by altering cell microstructure. ANXA2 deletion in cancer cells led to significant changes in pseudopodia, mitochondria, and cytoskeletal proteins.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Cell Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Annexin A2 (ANXA2) is frequently overexpressed in various cancers, particularly digestive system cancers.
- Aberrant ANXA2 expression is linked to increased cancer cell malignancy and invasive properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of ANXA2 in cancer cell malignancy by examining its effect on cell microstructure.
- To determine if ANXA2 remodeling of cell microstructures contributes to enhanced cancer malignancy.
Main Methods:
- Generated an ANXA2 knockout (ANXA2-/-) caco2 cell line.
- Utilized fluorescence microscopy, laser scanning confocal microscopy, and electron microscopy to compare microstructural changes between ANXA2 deleted and wild-type cells.
Main Results:
- ANXA2 deletion resulted in shorter and sparser pseudopodia.
- Observed increased non-stained areas and decreased mitochondria in ANXA2-deleted cells.
- Significant alterations in the expression and polymerization of F-actin and β-tubulin were noted.
Conclusions:
- This study provides the first evidence that excessive ANXA2 expression significantly alters cancer cell microstructures.
- ANXA2 enhances cancer malignancy, in part, by remodeling critical cell microstructures, including the cytoskeleton and mitochondria.
Related Concept Videos
01:16Cell Motility through Blebbing
Blebs are a type of membrane protrusion formed by the internal hydrostatic pressure of the cytoplasm. Blebs are observed in several cell types, including fibroblasts, immune cells, and single-celled organisms like the amoeba. The primary function of blebs is cell locomotion and apoptosis, but they are also found during necrosis and cell division. The life cycle of a bleb comprises an initiation phase followed by the expansion and retraction phases.
Blebbing Through the Matrix
In multicellular...
Blebbing Through the Matrix
In multicellular...
01:40Bone Remodeling
Bone remodeling is a continuous and balanced process of bone resorption by osteoclasts and bone formation by osteoblasts. In adults, it helps maintain bone mass and calcium homeostasis. While mechanical stress can stimulate turnover as part of the normal maintenance and reparative process, several hormones also regulate bone remodeling.
01:31Osteoclasts in Bone Remodeling
Osteoclasts are cells responsible for bone resorption and remodeling. They originate from hematopoietic progenitor cells present in the bone marrow. Numerous progenitor cells fuse to form multinucleated cells, each with 10-20 nuclei. A single osteoclast has a diameter of 150 to 200 µM. These cells have ruffled borders that break down the underlying bone tissue and release minerals such as calcium into the blood in bone resorption. Osteoclasts cling to bones with their ruffled edges during bone...
01:32Assembly of Complex Microtubule Structures
Complex microtubule structures are present in resting cells and in dividing cells. In resting cells, they are responsible for maintaining the cellular architecture, tracks for intracellular transport, positioning of organelles, assembly of cilia and flagella. They mediate the bipolar spindle assembly for chromosomal segregation and positioning of the cell division plate in dividing cells. The formation of microtubule complex structures depends on the cell type, cell stage, and cell function.
01:02Role of Microtubules in Cell Wall Deposition
Microtubules are small hollow tubes in eukaryotic cells. The cell wall microtubules are polymerized dimers of two globular proteins, α-tubulin and β-tubulin, two globular proteins. With a diameter of about 25 nm, microtubules are the widest components of the cytoskeleton. They help the cell resist compression and provide a track along which vesicles move through the cell or pull replicated chromosomes to opposite ends of a dividing cell. Microtubules go through quick cycles of disassembly and...
01:26Tension Response at Adherens Junctions
The adherens junctions that anchor cells together are multi-protein complexes that dynamically adapt to mechanical stimuli such as tensile forces and shear stress. Mechanosensory proteins in these junctions can sense such mechanical stimuli and undergo a shift in their conformation, resulting in an altered function — a process called mechanotransduction.
α-Catenin as a Mechanosensory Protein
The α-catenin of adherens junctions is an allosteric protein with three VH (vinculin homology) domains...
α-Catenin as a Mechanosensory Protein
The α-catenin of adherens junctions is an allosteric protein with three VH (vinculin homology) domains...