Smaller tetraploid cells linked to more aggressive tumors — ScienceDaily
Researchers at Virginia Tech found that tetraploid cancer cells that are smaller than expected can form more aggressive tumors, grow faster, invade tissues more actively, and better tolerate common anticancer drugs. ScienceDaily reports on the research findings.
Cells with additional sets of chromosomes
Most healthy cells are diploid, meaning they have two complete sets of chromosomes. During cell division, errors sometimes occur that cause the number of chromosomes to become abnormal. The team led by biologist Daniela Cimini studied tetraploid cells — cells with four complete sets of chromosomes.
For the experiments, the scientists caused diploid cancer cells to duplicate their chromosomes without completing division. In tumors grown in mice, the proportion of tetraploid cells decreased over time, but the neoplasms continued to grow rapidly. The researchers found that these cells helped recruit stromal cells — non-cancerous connective tissue cells that create an environment favorable for further tumor development.
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Cell size as an additional indicator
In a separate study, graduate student Matt Bloomfield obtained clones of tetraploid cells from human cancer cells and found that their size varied significantly. Some cells were 25–30% smaller than scientists expected. The smaller clones proved to be more aggressive than the larger ones.
Experiments in mice confirmed that tumors with smaller tetraploid cells often grew faster. The team observed a similar result in colorectal cancer and breast cancer cells.
Patient data
The scientists also analyzed data from the Cancer Genome Atlas, which contains information on thousands of patient tumor samples. In several cancer types, smaller tetraploid cells were associated with a worse prognosis and lower survival. The team plans to study the biological mechanisms of this link in more detail and continue analyzing data on human tumors.
