Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) represent a diverse group of malignancies, both clinically and biologically, with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection playing a significant role. HPV-positive tumours generally tend to have a better prognosis and are driven by oncoproteins E6 and E7. In contrast, HPV-negative tumours typically have a worse prognosis and are often linked to mutations in tumour suppressor genes. HNSCCs exist within a complex environment known as the tumour microenvironment (TME). The TME includes tumour cells, cancer stem cells (CSCs), cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), immune cells, extracellular matrix (ECM), blood vessels, and various signalling molecules. These components support tumour progression, invasion, metastasis, and resistance to treatment. Intercellular signalling within the TME-mediated by cytokines such as IL-6, TGF-b, and galectins-further promotes tumour growth and systemic effects like cachexia. Notably, the TME shares features with granulation tissue during wound healing, supporting the concept of cancer as a chronic, non-resolving wound. Effective therapy must target not only tumour cells but also the dynamic TME.

• Keywords
• CAF, IL-6, cancer, cancer-associated fibroblast, extracellular matrix, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, immunity, stroma, therapy, tumour microenvironment,
• MeSH
• Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck * immunology   pathology   MeSH
• Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts immunology   pathology   MeSH
• Papillomavirus Infections immunology   complications   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Neoplastic Stem Cells immunology   pathology   MeSH
• Tumor Microenvironment * immunology   MeSH
• Head and Neck Neoplasms * immunology   pathology   MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Review MeSH

Cancer is still one of the leading causes of death, with an estimated 19.3 million new cases every year. Our paper presents the tumor-suppressing effect of Taenia crassiceps and Mesocestoides corti on B16F10 melanoma, the intraperitoneal application of which followed the experimental infection with these tapeworms, resulting in varying degrees of effectiveness in two strains of mice. In the case of M. corti-infected ICR mice, a strong tumor growth suppression occurred, which was accompanied by a significant reduction in the formation of distant metastases in the liver and lung. Tapeworm-infected C57BL/6J mice also showed a suppression of tumor growth and, in addition, the overall survival of infected C57BL/6J mice was significantly improved. Experiments with potential cross-reaction of melanoma and tapeworm antigens with respective specific antibodies, restimulation of spleen T cells, or the direct effect of tapeworm excretory-secretory products on melanoma cells in vitro could not explain the phenomenon. However, infections with T. crassiceps and M. corti increased the number of leukocytes possibly involved in anti-tumor immunity in the peritoneal cavity of both ICR and C57BL/6J mice. This study unveils the complex interplay between tapeworm infections, immune responses, and melanoma progression, emphasizing the need for further exploration of the mechanisms driving observed tumor-suppressive effects.

• Keywords
• Mesocestoides, Taenia, cancer, melanoma, metastasis, suppression, tapeworm,
• MeSH
• Cestoda * MeSH
• Cestode Infections * complications   pathology   MeSH
• Melanoma * complications   MeSH
• Mesocestoides * physiology   MeSH
• Mice, Inbred C57BL MeSH
• Mice, Inbred ICR MeSH
• Mice MeSH
• Taenia * MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Mice MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH

The ability of cells to switch between different invasive modes during metastasis, also known as invasion plasticity, is an important characteristic of tumor cells that makes them able to resist treatment targeted to a particular invasion mode. Due to the rapid changes in cell morphology during the transition between mesenchymal and amoeboid invasion, it is evident that this process requires remodeling of the cytoskeleton. Although the role of the actin cytoskeleton in cell invasion and plasticity is already quite well described, the contribution of microtubules is not yet fully clarified. It is not easy to infer whether destabilization of microtubules leads to higher invasiveness or the opposite since the complex microtubular network acts differently in diverse invasive modes. While mesenchymal migration typically requires microtubules at the leading edge of migrating cells to stabilize protrusions and form adhesive structures, amoeboid invasion is possible even in the absence of long, stable microtubules, albeit there are also cases of amoeboid cells where microtubules contribute to effective migration. Moreover, complex crosstalk of microtubules with other cytoskeletal networks participates in invasion regulation. Altogether, microtubules play an important role in tumor cell plasticity and can be therefore targeted to affect not only cell proliferation but also invasive properties of migrating cells.

• Keywords
• 3D migration, amoeboid, cancer, invasion plasticity, mesenchymal, microtubules,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Review MeSH

The incidence of death caused by cancer has been increasing worldwide. The growth of cancer cells is not the main problem. The majority of deaths are due to invasion and metastasis, where cancer cells actively spread from primary tumors. Our inbred rat model of spontaneous metastasis revealed dynamic phenotype changes in vitro correlating with the metastatic potential in vivo and led to a discovery of a metastasis suppressor, protein 4.1B, which affects their 2D motility on flat substrates. Subsequently, others confirmed 4.1B as metastasis suppressor using knock-out mice and patient data suggesting mechanism involving apoptosis. There is evidence that 2D motility may be differentially controlled to the 3D situation. Here we show that 4.1B affects cell motility in an invasion assay similarly to the 2D system, further supporting our original hypothesis that the role of 4.1B as metastasis suppressor is primarily mediated by its effect on motility. This is encouraging for the validity of the 2D analysis, and we propose Quantitative Phase Imaging with incoherent light source for rapid and accurate testing of cancer cell motility and growth to be of interest for personalized cancer treatment as illustrated in experiments measuring responses of human adenocarcinoma cells to selected chemotherapeutic drugs.

• MeSH
• Neoplasm Invasiveness * MeSH
• Rats MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Microscopy methods   MeSH
• Cell Line, Tumor MeSH
• Cell Movement * MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Rats MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

Cancer cell invasion through tissue barriers is the intrinsic feature of metastasis, the most life-threatening aspect of cancer. Detailed observation and analysis of cancer cell behaviour in a 3D environment is essential for a full understanding of the mechanisms of cancer cell invasion. The inherent limits of optical microscopy resolution do not allow to for in-depth observation of intracellular structures, such as invadopodia of invading cancer cells. The required resolution can be achieved using electron microscopy techniques such as FIB-SEM. However, visualising cells in a 3D matrix using FIB-SEM is challenging due to difficulties with localisation of a specific cell deep within the resin block. We have developed a new protocol based on the near-infrared branding (NIRB) procedure that extends the pattern from the surface grid deep inside the resin. This 3D burned pattern allows for precise trimming followed by targeted 3D FIB-SEM. Here we present detailed 3D CLEM results combining confocal and FIB-SEM imaging of cancer cell invadopodia that extend deep into the collagen meshwork.

• Keywords
• CLEM, FIB-SEM, MT1-MMP, invadopodia, invasiveness,
• MeSH
• Spectroscopy, Near-Infrared methods   MeSH
• Fibrosarcoma pathology   MeSH
• Neoplasm Invasiveness MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Microscopy, Electron, Scanning methods   MeSH
• Tumor Cells, Cultured MeSH
• Breast Neoplasms pathology   MeSH
• Image Processing, Computer-Assisted MeSH
• Podosomes pathology   MeSH
• Imaging, Three-Dimensional methods   MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

The invasive behaviour of cancer cells underlies metastatic dissemination; however, due to the large plasticity of invasion modes, it is challenging to target. It is now widely accepted that various secreted cytokines modulate the tumour microenvironment and pro-inflammatory signalling can promote tumour progression. Here, we report that cells after mesenchymal-amoeboid transition show the increased expression of genes associated with the type I interferon response. Moreover, the sustained activation of type I interferon signalling in response to IFNβ mediated by the Stat1/Stat2/IRF9 complex enhances the round amoeboid phenotype in melanoma cells, whereas its downregulation by various approaches promotes the mesenchymal invasive phenotype. Overall, we demonstrate that interferon signalling is associated with the amoeboid phenotype of cancer cells and suggest a novel role of IFNβ in promoting cancer invasion plasticity, aside from its known role as a tumour suppressor.

• Keywords
• amoeboid, inflammation, interferon, invasion, melanoma, mesenchymal, plasticity,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

Cells attaching to the extracellular matrix spontaneously acquire front-rear polarity. This self-organization process comprises spatial activation of polarity signaling networks and the establishment of a protruding cell front and a non-protruding cell rear. Cell polarization also involves the reorganization of cell mass, notably the nucleus that is positioned at the cell rear. It remains unclear, however, how these processes are regulated. Here, using coherence-controlled holographic microscopy (CCHM) for non-invasive live-cell quantitative phase imaging (QPI), we examined the role of the focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and its interacting partner Rack1 in dry mass distribution in spreading Rat2 fibroblasts. We found that FAK-depleted cells adopt an elongated, bipolar phenotype with a high central body mass that gradually decreases toward the ends of the elongated processes. Further characterization of spreading cells showed that FAK-depleted cells are incapable of forming a stable rear; rather, they form two distally positioned protruding regions. Continuous protrusions at opposite sides results in an elongated cell shape. In contrast, Rack1-depleted cells are round and large with the cell mass sharply dropping from the nuclear area towards the basal side. We propose that FAK and Rack1 act differently yet coordinately to establish front-rear polarity in spreading cells.

• Keywords
• Rack1, cell adhesion, cell dry mass, cell spreading, coherence-controlled holographic microscopy, extracellular matrix, focal adhesion kinase, front–rear polarity, quantitative phase imaging,
• MeSH
• Cell Adhesion genetics   physiology   MeSH
• Cell Line MeSH
• Fibroblasts cytology   metabolism   MeSH
• Focal Adhesion Protein-Tyrosine Kinases genetics   metabolism   MeSH
• Rats MeSH
• Microscopy, Phase-Contrast MeSH
• Cell Movement genetics   physiology   MeSH
• Cell Polarity genetics   physiology   MeSH
• Receptors for Activated C Kinase genetics   metabolism   MeSH
• RNA Interference MeSH
• Cell Shape genetics   physiology   MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Rats MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Focal Adhesion Protein-Tyrosine Kinases MeSH
• RACK1 protein, rat MeSH Browser
• Receptors for Activated C Kinase MeSH

The plasticity of cancer cell invasion represents substantial hindrance for effective anti-metastatic therapy. To better understand the cancer cells' plasticity, we performed complex transcriptomic and proteomic profiling of HT1080 fibrosarcoma cells undergoing mesenchymal-amoeboid transition (MAT). As amoeboid migratory phenotype can fully manifest only in 3D conditions, all experiments were performed with 3D collagen-based cultures. Two previously described approaches to induce MAT were used: doxycycline-inducible constitutively active RhoA expression and dasatinib treatment. RNA sequencing was performed with ribo-depleted total RNA. Protein samples were analysed with tandem mass tag (TMT)-based mass spectrometry. The data provide unprecedented insight into transcriptome and proteome changes accompanying MAT in true 3D conditions.

• MeSH
• Fibrosarcoma pathology   MeSH
• Neoplasm Invasiveness * MeSH
• Collagen chemistry   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Cell Line, Tumor MeSH
• Cell Movement * MeSH
• Proteome * MeSH
• rhoA GTP-Binding Protein MeSH
• Sequence Analysis, RNA MeSH
• Tandem Mass Spectrometry MeSH
• Transcriptome * MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Dataset MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Collagen MeSH
• Proteome * MeSH
• rhoA GTP-Binding Protein MeSH
• RHOA protein, human MeSH Browser

The ability of cancer cells to adopt various migration modes (the plasticity of cancer cell invasiveness) is a substantive obstacle in the treatment of metastasis, yet still an incompletely understood process. We performed a comparison of publicly available transcriptomic datasets from various cell types undergoing a switch between the mesenchymal and amoeboid migration modes. Strikingly, lncRNA MALAT1 (metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1) was one of three genes that were found upregulated in all amoeboid cells analyzed. Accordingly, downregulation of MALAT1 in predominantly amoeboid cell lines A375m2 and A2058 resulted in decrease of active RhoA (Ras homolog family member A) and was accompanied by the amoeboid-mesenchymal transition in A375m2 cells. Moreover, MALAT1 downregulation in amoeboid cells led to increased cell proliferation. Our work is the first to address the role of MALAT1 in MAT/AMT (mesenchymal to amoeboid transition/amoeboid to mesenchymal transition) and suggests that increased MALAT1 expression is a common feature of amoeboid cells.

• Keywords
• MALAT1, amoeboid invasion, cancer, invasion plasticity, lncRNA, melanoma, mesenchymal invasion,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

We present geometric-phase microscopy allowing a multipurpose quantitative phase imaging in which the ground-truth phase is restored by quantifying the phase retardance. The method uses broadband spatially incoherent light that is polarization sensitively controlled through the geometric (Pancharatnam-Berry) phase. The assessed retardance possibly originates either in dynamic or geometric phase and measurements are customized for quantitative mapping of isotropic and birefringent samples or multi-functional geometric-phase elements. The phase restoration is based on the self-interference of polarization distinguished waves carrying sample information and providing pure reference phase, while passing through an inherently stable common-path setup. The experimental configuration allows an instantaneous (single-shot) phase restoration with guaranteed subnanometer precision and excellent ground-truth accuracy (well below 5 nm). The optical performance is demonstrated in advanced yet routinely feasible noninvasive biophotonic imaging executed in the automated manner and predestined for supervised machine learning. The experiments demonstrate measurement of cell dry mass density, cell classification based on the morphological parameters and visualization of dynamic dry mass changes. The multipurpose use of the method was demonstrated by restoring variations in the dynamic phase originating from the electrically induced birefringence of liquid crystals and by mapping the geometric phase of a space-variant polarization directed lens.

• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH