Cell motility and breast cancer metastasis

Abstract

Motility and invasion of breast cancer cells are the result of the concerted action of a number of cell activities: directional migration underpinned by the dynamic organisation of cytoskeletal components (actin micro-filaments and microtubules), establishment and disruption of cell-matrix and homotypic/heterotypic cell-cell adhesions, and extracellular proteolysis. Metastasis formation is not only related to cancer cell motility, but also necessitates the collaboration of other, coined “host” cells. Newly discovered ligand-receptor interactions between cancer cells and these host elements offer a molecular explanation for Paget’s “seed and soil” hypothesis, and indicate new targets for possible anti-metastatic therapeutic agents