Survival of the Fittest: Essential Roles of Cell Competition in Development, Aging, and Cancer.
Multicellular organisms evolved to resolve conflicts between individual cells, protecting the internal organization of the individual. This is illustrated by cell competition, a process that eliminates suboptimal cells from growing tissues by apoptosis. Since its early characterization in Drosophila an increasing number of conditions have been associated with competition, and mounting evidence demonstrates conservation of this process. We describe here the broad range of contexts that utilize cell competition, including tissue health, aging, and tumor development. We then delineate different models for the processes underlying the recognition and elimination of outcompeted cells.
Institute for Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland; Department of Biochemistry, University of Geneva, Quai Ernest-Ansermet 30, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland.
Marisa M
MM
Merino
Institute for Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.
Romain
R
Levayer
Institute for Cell Biology, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland; Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, 1400-038, Lisbon, Portugal. Electronic address: eduardo.moreno@izb.unibe.ch.
Eduardo
E
Moreno
D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D016923:Cell Death; D002470:Cell Survival; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology
aging; cell competition; cell fitness; fitness fingerprints; mechanics; trophic theory; tumor