title: EDAC: Epithelial defence against cancer-cell competition between normal and transformed epithelial cells in mammals.
abstract: During embryonic development or under certain pathological conditions, viable but suboptimal cells are often eliminated from the cellular society through a process termed cell competition. Cell competition was originally identified in Drosophila where cells with different properties compete for survival; 'loser' cells are eliminated from tissues and consequently 'winner' cells become dominant. Recent studies have shown that cell competition also occurs in mammals. While apoptotic cell death is the major fate for losers in Drosophila, outcompeted cells show more variable phenotypes in mammals, such as cell death-independent apical extrusion and cellular senescence. Molecular mechanisms underlying these processes have been recently revealed. Especially, in epithelial tissues, normal cells sense and actively eliminate the neighbouring transformed cells via cytoskeletal proteins by the process named epithelial defence against cancer (EDAC). Here, we introduce this newly emerging research field: cell competition in mammals.
authors.affiliation: Division of Molecular Oncology, Institute for Genetic Medicine, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Mihoko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kajita
authors.affiliation: Division of Molecular Oncology, Institute for Genetic Medicine, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Chemical Sciences and Engineering, Sapporo, Japan yasu@igm.hokudai.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Yasuyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fujita
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016923:Cell Death; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*
keywords: EDAC; Filamin; apical extrusion; cell competition; mammals