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Mechanical interactions between human cells and their environment are critical for functions such as cell movement, communication, and sensing
.
Although the cells have no sense of sight or smell, they also have octopus-like tentacles on their surface, so their movement patterns are also very similar to octopuses
.
In a new study published today in Nature Communications, a research team from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark used "optical tweezers" to reveal the fundamental mechanism of all living cells: they use octopus-like "tentacles" to explore their surroundings and invade organization
.
The discovery will have implications for research in cancer, neurological diseases and many others
.
Cells are known to have no sense of sight or smell, but their surfaces are equipped with very thin filopodia, like entwined octopus tentacles
.
Filopodia are actin-rich structures present on the surface of eukaryotic cells
.
These structures play a key role by allowing cells to explore their environment, generate mechanical forces or perform chemical signaling
.
Their complex dynamics include changes in length and shape such as twisting, stretching,
etc.
These filopodia help cells move towards the bacteria, while it also acts as a sensory "antenna" that recognizes the bacteria as prey
.
In the new study, the researchers used a microscope to observe at the nanoscale immune cells propelling toward their target bacteria, a process that resembles a predator catching prey
.
After some exploration and exercise, the immune cells eventually "catch" the target bacteria and devour them
.
The filopodia move cells in a similar way to the response when stretching a rubber band
.
We know that a rubber band without deformation has no strength
.
But when twisted, the rubber shrinks
.
The same thing happens in the cell to help it change direction while keeping the filopodia flexible
.
Thus, in order to explore the whole space in the environment around the cell, filopodia can penetrate into all corners of the tissue in a twisted fashion
.
In conclusion, this study provides evidence for the twisting and rotating mechanisms observed in filopodia
.
Remarkably, this mechanism exists in a variety of different cell types, from naive stem cells to terminally differentiated cancer cells
.
Not only cancer cells have this ability, but all cells do, the researchers say
.
The finding is equally important for researchers studying embryonic stem cells and brain cells
.
Both types of cells are highly dependent on filopodia during development
.
Therefore, understanding how cells use their "tentacles" for movement will help scientists figure out ways to prevent cancer cells from invading adjacent tissues and spreading disease
.
"Clearly, cancer researchers are interested in our results," said Poul Martin Bendix, corresponding author of the study and head of the Laboratory for Experimental Biophysics at NBI, University of Copenhagen
.
Cancer cells are known for their high aggressiveness
.
We have reason to believe that, Cancer cells are particularly reliant on the function of filopodia to examine their surroundings and facilitate their own spread
.
So it is conceivable that by finding ways to inhibit cancer cell filopodia, cancer growth could be stopped
.
"Paper link: https://