GSE135193
Triangular Correlation (TrC) between cancer aggressiveness, cell uptake capability and cell deformability
The malignancy potential is correlated with mechanical deformability of the cancer cells. Therefore, mechanical properties of individual patient cells can contribute essential knowledge in cancer diagnostics and in precision therapies. However, clinical applications are limited by lack of current knowledge and of reliable and robust cell mechanical tests. In a comprehensive study, we found a Triangular Correlation (TrC) between cell deformability, phagocytic like capacity, and cancer aggressiveness. A significant application of the TrC is that phagocytic measurements can be a surrogate marker for detecting malignancy of cancer cells based on mechanical properties. We found that the uptake of inert sub-micron and micro-beads was massively higher in cancer cells compared with non-cancerous cells. Moreover, cells with a higher malignancy potential had greater uptake capacity. Importantly, in a reciprocal approach, we sorted either human bladder cancer cells or melanoma cells into subpopulations, solely based on their phagocytic capacity. The more phagocytic subpopulations showed elevated phenotypes of cancer aggressiveness ex vivo and in vivo. The uptake potential was found to be an imprinted feature preserved genetically and enriched over the sorting cycles. A gene expression profile revealed differences in gene sets associated with regulation of cell-cell and extracellular matrix adhesions and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing showed that differences in gene expression were reflected also at the chromatin level. Importantly, in all cases studied here, enhanced phagocytic ability and elevated aggressiveness phenotypes were correlated with greater cell deformability, providing the mechanical link of the TrC. A computational model supported the notion that the uptake capacity can be a marker for malignancy mediated by cell mechanics. Our multidisciplinary approach, which involved complementary directions of study in several types of cancer cells, provides the proof of concept that phagocytic measurements can be applied for cancer diagnostics and precision medicine. Overall design: Comparison of sub populations of cancer cells that were sorted based on their phagocytic capacity