We interview Dr David Q. Matus to discuss how studying a single cell within a simple worm informs us about cancer metastasis and might help with developing better treatments against the disease.
David recently started his own lab in the department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology at Stony Brook University in New York. As a post-doc in the lab of Dave Sherwood at Duke University, Dave studied the anchor cell in the worm C. elegans. The anchor cell invades by breaching the basement membrane; a process very similar to what is used by cancer cell for metastasis. David found interesting link between cell cycle and the invasion behavior. His study suggests a requirement of cell cycle arrest for membrane invasion. This interesting link could be one reason why chemotherapy, which is directed towards killing dividing cells, fails to destroy all cancer cells. Metastasizing cells due to their inhibition of cell cycle, escape chemotherapy. Understanding the properties underlying invasion could lead to developing better compounds targeting the spread of cancer cells.
Please listen.
To learn more about David, visit his lab webpage.
Citations:
Invasive Cell Fate Requires G1 Cell-Cycle Arrest and Histone Deacetylase-Mediated Changes in Gene Expression
Matus et al., Developmental Cell, October 26, 2015.
Cell division and targeted cell cycle arrest opens and stabilizes basement membrane gaps
Matus et al., Nature Communications, June 13, 2014.
David recently started his own lab in the department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology at Stony Brook University in New York. As a post-doc in the lab of Dave Sherwood at Duke University, Dave studied the anchor cell in the worm C. elegans. The anchor cell invades by breaching the basement membrane; a process very similar to what is used by cancer cell for metastasis. David found interesting link between cell cycle and the invasion behavior. His study suggests a requirement of cell cycle arrest for membrane invasion. This interesting link could be one reason why chemotherapy, which is directed towards killing dividing cells, fails to destroy all cancer cells. Metastasizing cells due to their inhibition of cell cycle, escape chemotherapy. Understanding the properties underlying invasion could lead to developing better compounds targeting the spread of cancer cells.
Please listen.
To learn more about David, visit his lab webpage.
Citations:
Invasive Cell Fate Requires G1 Cell-Cycle Arrest and Histone Deacetylase-Mediated Changes in Gene Expression
Matus et al., Developmental Cell, October 26, 2015.
Cell division and targeted cell cycle arrest opens and stabilizes basement membrane gaps
Matus et al., Nature Communications, June 13, 2014.
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