NKCC1 Regulates Migration Ability of Glioblastoma Cells by Modulation of Actin Dynamics and Interacting with Cofilin.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive primary brain tumor in adults. The mechanisms that confer GBM cells their invasive behavior are poorly understood. The electroneutral Na-K-2Cl co-transporter 1 (NKCC1) is an important cell volume regulator that participates in cell migration.

VE-cadherin-independent cancer cell incorporation into the vascular endothelium precedes transmigration.

Metastasis is accountable for 90% of cancer deaths. During metastasis, tumor cells break away from the primary tumor, enter the blood and the lymph vessels, and use them as highways to travel to distant sites in the body to form secondary tumors. Cancer cell migration through the endothelium and into the basement membrane represents a critical step in the metastatic cascade, yet it is not well understood.