Question

Why do you think actin-based cell crawling is important in the progression of diseases like cancer?

Answer 1

Ans:-  concept:- For cancer the main aim is metastasis. And for metastasis to occure it must over come the forces which hold the cell from each other and from basement membrane that are hemidesmosomes , and various type of cell junction likes desmosomes.

cancer cells use this actin based cell crawling to over come this process by mutating the cellular mechanisms according to there benefit.

The motility of eukaryotic cells is driven by the polymerization of actin monomers into polarized filaments ]. These filaments, termed F-actin, are in a constant state of flux with new monomers being added at the ‘barbed’ or ‘plus’ end, and depolymerization at the ‘pointed’ or ‘minus’ end. Actin polymerization can be stimulated in many ways, including increasing the rate of monomer addition to barbed ends, nucleating new filaments, increasing the number of barbed ends, and reducing depolymerization.

The ability of cancer cells to move requires force generation to overcome factors that oppose movement (e.g. cell–cell and cell–matrix adhesions, drag, etc.). F-actin assembles with myosin II filaments composed of heavy and regulatory light chains to form a protein complex that uses energy from ATP hydrolysis to power actin–myosin contraction .The resultant generation of contractile force drives the morphological reorganization and extracellular matrix remodelling that facilitate cell movement...