Year: 2011
Type: article
Abstract: The doctrine of ‘the golden mean' of the Confucian certainly applies at the molecular level to cell growth and migration. It is critically important for tissue architecture and homeostasis that cells stop proliferation when reaching appropriate density and halt migration in a direction to avoid collision with others. This ‘red light' to hinder cell movement is essential for maintaining contact inhibition of locomotion (CIL)—a phenomenon that a cell ceases to continue moving in the same direction when it comes into contact with another cell. The concept of CIL emerged initially from the early work of Abercrombie and Heaysman in the 1950s.1 Deficiencies in this cell communication system may lead to uncontrolled cell migration towards neighboring cells—an invasive process often observed in cancer. Indeed, metastatic cancer cells have often gained the capability to migrate specifically towards non-malignant cells and away from its cancerous peers. Understanding the molecular basis of this selective migration will greatly enhance our ability to prevent cancer dissemination, a lethal process in a majority of tumor types. In a recent issue of Nature Cell Biology, Astin and colleagues2 report that defective CIL between normal and cancerous cells is dictated by a switch of the repulsive ‘red light'—the EphA receptor signaling—to the attractive ‘green light', the EphB receptor signaling (Figure 1). These intriguing findings shed some light on the control of CIL and pave the way for future characterization of its role in cancer.
Source: Asian Journal of Andrology
DOI: 10.1038/aja.2010.176
Authors: Seth J Corey, Jindan Yu
Language: English
Subfield: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $711
OpenAlex ID: W2026593959