Scientists at Queen Mary University of London in the UK have discovered the reason why skin cancer is able to form secondary tumors, developing into an aggressive form of the disease. This is reported in an article published in the journal Nature Communications.
Researchers have found that there is a highly invasive subpopulation of melanoma cells located at the edge of the primary tumor called rounded-amoeboid cells. Cancer cells produce a molecule called Wnt11 that binds to a second molecule on the surface of cancer cells called FZD7. After that, the DAAM1 protein is activated, which, in turn, activates the Rho A protein, which is a regulator of the penetration of cancer cells into healthy tissues.
The ability of melanoma cells to spread throughout the body is due to the fact that signaling molecules are also involved in the development of the human embryo. Melanoma arises from pigment-producing skin cells called melanocytes, which are formed from neural crest cells. Neural crest cells are distinguished by a developed ability to migrate in the human body, developing into a variety of structures.
