Difference in biophysical properties of cancer-initiating cells in melanoma mutated zebrafish.

Makarova, N; Kalaparthi, Vivek; Wang, Andrew; Williams, Chris; Dokukin, M E; Kaufman, Charles K; Zon, Leonard; Sokolov, I · J Mech Behav Biomed Mater · 2020

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Despite sharing oncogenetic mutations, only a small number of cells within a given tissue will undergo malignant transformation. Biochemical and physical factors responsible for this cancer-initiation process are not well understood. Here we study biophysical differences of pre-melanoma and melanoma cells in a BRAF<sup>V600E</sup>/P53 zebrafish model. The AFM indentation technique was used to study the cancer-initiating cells while the surrounding melanocytes were the control. We observed a statistically significant decrease in the modulus of elasticity (the effective Young's modulus) of cancer-initiating cells compared to the surrounding melanocytes. No significant differences in the pericellular coat surrounding cells were observed. These results contribute to a better understanding of the factors responsible for the initiation of cancer.

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