Trailblazing LIM kinases take the lead in collective tumor cell invasion

Cells activated for wound repair have the potential to direct collective invasion of an epithelium

“…Because normal epithelial cells are typically not inherently invasive, we hypothesize that the mesenchymal leader cells are generating a path through the ECM for the epithelial cells to follow. In support of this hypothesis, a number of studies demonstrate that leader cells can generate paths or tracks through both proteolytic and structural (force-mediated) mechanisms to remodel the matrix environment to promote collective invasion of follower cells ( Friedl and Wolf, 2003 ; Gaggioli et al ., 2007 ; Gaggioli, 2008 ; Radisky, 2007 ; Wolf et al ., 2007 ; Olson, 2010 ; Scott et al ., 2010 ; Crighton and Olson, 2011 ). In the present study, we found that MMP-2/9 proteolytic function was necessary for collective invasion in response to injury.…”

BioArchitecture

“…The postsynaptic density protein PSD-95 has been found to directly contribute to the shaping of the neuronal dendritic field by influencing the distance between microtubules which in turn impacts on the decision of a dendrite to branch rather than form a spine 47 . At the level of formation of neuronal circuits, studies in transparent embryos have supported a model in which neuronal architecture is driven by use-dependent testing of synapses; a switch in which ‘form follows function.’ 48 In the case of tumor biology, the respective roles of different cells which form the tumor have implicated LIMK as a potential drug target for cancer therapy based on LIMK function in the invading cells 49 …”