Effects of Tumor Necrosis Factor-α on Morphology and Mechanical Properties of HCT116 Human Colon Cancer Cells Investigated by Atomic Force Microscopy.
Huiqing LiuNan WangZhe ZhangHongda WangJun DuJilin TangPublished in: Scanning (2017)
Chronic inflammation orchestrates the tumor microenvironment and is strongly associated with cancer. Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) is involved in tumor invasion and metastasis by inducing epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). This process is defined by the loss of epithelial characteristics and gain of mesenchymal traits. The mechanisms of TNFα-induced EMT in cancer cells have been well studied. However, mechanical properties have not yet been probed. In this work, atomic force microscopy (AFM) was applied to investigate the morphology and mechanical properties of EMT in HCT116 human colon cancer cells. A remarkable morphological change from cobblestone shape to spindle-like morphology was observed. In parallel, AFM images showed that the cellular cytoskeleton was rearranged from a cortical to a stress-fiber pattern. Moreover, cell stiffness measurements indicated that Young's modulus of cells gradually reduced from 1 to 3 days with TNFα-treatment, but it has an apparent increase after 4 days of treatment compared with that for 3 days. Additionally, Young's modulus of the cells treated with TNFα for 4 days is slightly larger than that for 1 or 2 days, but still less than that of the untreated cells. Our work contributes to a better understanding of colorectal cancer metastasis induced by inflammation.
Keyphrases
- atomic force microscopy
- cell cycle arrest
- high speed
- rheumatoid arthritis
- induced apoptosis
- endothelial cells
- epithelial mesenchymal transition
- single molecule
- oxidative stress
- cell death
- stem cells
- endoplasmic reticulum stress
- single cell
- pi k akt
- bone marrow
- high glucose
- induced pluripotent stem cells
- cell therapy
- dna methylation
- magnetic resonance
- machine learning
- magnetic resonance imaging
- diabetic rats
- papillary thyroid
- convolutional neural network
- deep learning
- high resolution
- replacement therapy
- stress induced