Dresden 2020 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 13: Cell Mechanics I

BP 13.8: Talk

Tuesday, March 17, 2020, 12:00–12:15, SCH A251

EMT-induced cell mechanical changes enhance mitotic rounding strength — •Kamran Hosseini¹, Anna Taubenberger¹, Carsten Werner², and Elisabeth Fischer-Friedrich¹ — ¹Biotechnology Center, TU Dresden, Germany — ²Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden, Max Bergmann Center, Dresden, Germany

To undergo mitosis successfully, animal cells need to acquire a round shape to provide space for the mitotic spindle. This mitotic rounding relies on mechanical deformation of surrounding tissue and is driven by forces emanating from actomyosin contractility. Cancer cells are able to maintain successful mitosis in mechanically challenging environments such as the increasingly crowded environment of a growing tumor, thus, suggesting an enhanced ability of mitotic rounding in cancer. Here, we show that epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT), a hallmark of cancer progression and metastasis, gives rise to a cell-cycle dependent cell-mechanical switch and enhanced mitotic rounding strength in breast epithelial cells. Furthermore, we show that this cell-mechanical change correlates with a strong EMT-induced change in the activity of Rho GTPases RhoA and Rac1. Accordingly, we identify Rac1 as a cell-cycle dependent regulator of actin cortex mechanics. Our findings hint at a new role of EMT in successful mitotic rounding and division in mechanically confined environments such as a growing tumor.