Nano-characterization of two closely related melanoma cell lines with different metastatic potential

Cutaneous malignant melanoma is one of the most lethal types of skin cancer. Its progression passes through several steps, leading to the appearance of a new population of cells with aggressive biological potential. Here, we focused on the nano-characterization of two different melanoma cell lines with similar morphological appearance but different metastatic potential, namely, WM115 from vertical growth phase (VGP) and WM266-4 derived from metastasis to skin. The first cell line represents cells that progressed to the VGP, while the WM266-4 cell line denotes cells from the metastasis to skin. Exploring with a combination of atomic force and fluorescence microscopes, our goal was to identify cell surface characteristics in both cell lines that may determine differences in the cellular nano-mechanical properties. Cell elasticity was found to be affected by the presence of F-actin-based flexible ridges, rich in F-actin co-localized with β1 integrins in the studied cell lines. These results point out how progressive changes in the surface structure of melanoma cells can affect their bionanomechanical properties.