New research on how cells communicate could pave the way for better cancer treatments

July 31, 2018

New pioneering research on how cells communicate with each other may be the key to unlocking new and improved treatments for life-threatening diseases, including cancer.

to communicate with each other, and many are essential for development. A team of international researchers has examined how an important family of signaling molecules – Wnt proteins, which orchestrate and control many cellular development processes – are transported between cells.

Precise transmission of Wnt signals is therefore extremely important; However, the mechanism for this was previously unknown. It has been discovered that cellular prominences called cytonems. play a vital role in signal transmission to control the rate of cell division.

Professor Steffen Scholpp, Principal Investigator at the Institute of Living Systems of the University of Exeter, said: "We are living very exciting times for cell biology. At first, researchers believed that signaling molecules are released from cells in the extracellular space, the area between cells, and diffuse randomly.

"This would mean that the target cells are surrounded by a mixture of various signaling molecules. In contrast, our research shows that there is a flexible grid of tiny protuberances connecting all the cells in a multicellular body. This innovative concept allows a fast, accurate and controlled exchange of information between the sending cells and the target cells. "

Since excessive signaling of Wnt is known to cause a number of cancers by causing excessive cell division, scientists believe that this research might have discovered the development of new cancer treatments by helping to create drugs targeting the Cytonemus formation, preventing signal transmission.

The team of researchers at the Duke Medical School in Singapore, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany and Cardiff cytonem training prevents transmission of the signals. Wnt producing cells

Wnt has shifted to areas of the cell membrane and interacts with a receptor known as Ror2, inducing the formation of a cytonem. of its own transport mechanism is controlled.

Wnt signaling is also essential to embryo formation, to development curing ison and cell regeneration. Professor Scholpp added: "We have begun to understand the characteristics of this grid of information in the matrix of a tissue. Our research provides the first insight into how this network of cells." A characterization Complete functional and structural information grid and its functions in contact signaling is fundamental and calls for further studies at the molecular, cellular level. and fabric level. "