Issue 12, 2021

Stiffening of DU145 prostate cancer cells driven by actin filaments – microtubule crosstalk conferring resistance to microtubule-targeting drugs

Abstract

The crucial role of microtubules in the mitotic-related segregation of chromosomes makes them an excellent target for anticancer microtubule targeting drugs (MTDs) such as vinflunine (VFL), colchicine (COL), and docetaxel (DTX). MTDs affect mitosis by directly perturbing the structural organisation of microtubules. By a direct assessment of the biomechanical properties of prostate cancer DU145 cells exposed to different MTDs using atomic force microscopy, we show that cell stiffening is a response to the application of all the studied MTDs (VFL, COL, DTX). Changes in cellular rigidity are typically attributed to remodelling of the actin filaments in the cytoskeleton. Here, we demonstrate that cell stiffening can be driven by crosstalk between actin filaments and microtubules in MTD-treated cells. Our findings improve the interpretation of biomechanical data obtained for living cells in studies of various physiological and pathological processes.

Graphical abstract: Stiffening of DU145 prostate cancer cells driven by actin filaments – microtubule crosstalk conferring resistance to microtubule-targeting drugs

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
07 9 2020
Accepted
26 2 2021
First published
26 2 2021

Nanoscale, 2021,13, 6212-6226

Stiffening of DU145 prostate cancer cells driven by actin filaments – microtubule crosstalk conferring resistance to microtubule-targeting drugs

A. Kubiak, M. Chighizola, C. Schulte, N. Bryniarska, J. Wesołowska, M. Pudełek, M. Lasota, D. Ryszawy, A. Basta-Kaim, P. Laidler, A. Podestà and M. Lekka, Nanoscale, 2021, 13, 6212 DOI: 10.1039/D0NR06464E

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements