Visualizing Cancer Cell Chemotaxis and Invasion in 2D and 3D.

We describe three chemotaxis assays-Insall chambers, circular invasion assays, and 3D organotypic assays-that are particularly appropriate for measuring migration of cancer cells in response to gradients of soluble attractants. Each assay has defined advantages, and together they provide the best possible quantitative assessment of cancer chemotaxis.

Stem vs non-stem cell origin of colorectal cancer.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most common cancers in the western world and is characterised by deregulation of the Wnt signalling pathway. Mutation of the adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) tumour suppressor gene, which encodes a protein that negatively regulates this pathway, occurs in almost 80% of CRC cases. The progression of this cancer from an early adenoma to carcinoma is accompanied by a well-characterised set of mutations including KRAS, SMAD4 and TP53.

Cyclical action of the WASH complex: FAM21 and capping protein drive WASH recycling, not initial recruitment.

WASH causes actin to polymerize on vesicles involved in retrograde traffic and exocytosis. It is found within a regulatory complex, but the physiological roles of the other four members are unknown. Here we present genetic analysis of the subunits' individual functions in Dictyostelium.

Chemotaxis: TorC before you Akt..

Chemotaxis uses intertwined signalling pathways, each individually dispensable. Recent work shows that Dictyostelium PKB/Akt can be spatially regulated independently of phosphatidylinositol (3,4,5)-trisphosphate via phosphorylation by TOR complex 2, placing this complex at the hub of chemotaxis.