title: Collective cell movement in primary melanoma explants: plasticity of cell-cell interaction, beta1-integrin function, and migration strategies.
abstract: Collective cell movement represents an efficient dissemination strategy in neoplastic epithelial and mesenchymal cancer. In primary melanoma explants cultured in three-dimensional collagen lattices, invasive migration of multicellular clusters was dependent on the function of beta1 integrins, as shown by preferential beta1-integrin expression and clustering in a subset of promigratory cells at the leading edge ("guiding cells") and the abrogation of multicellular migration by adhesion-perturbing anti-beta1-integrin antibody. Interference with beta1-integrin function induced complex changes in cluster polarity and cohesion, including development of two or several opposing leading edges, cluster disruption, and the detachment of individual cells followed by beta1-integrin-independent "amoeboid" crawling and dissemination. The conversion from beta1-integrin-dependent collective movement to beta1-integrin-independent single-cell motility suggests efficient cellular and molecular plasticity in tumor cell migration strategies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, University of Würzburg, 97080 Würzburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Yael
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hegerfeldt
authors.forename: Miriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tusch
authors.forename: Eva-B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Bröcker
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Friedl
mesh_terms: D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000502:physiology; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000502:physiology*; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D019012:Integrin beta1 / Q000502:physiology*; D008545:Melanoma / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D019012:Integrin beta1