Original title: Cell Fate Simulation Reveals Cancer Cell Features in the Tumor Microenvironment
Authors: Sachiko Sato,Ann Rancourt,Masahiko S Satoh
The article discusses a new research approach that aims to understand the behavior of individual cancer cells within the tumor microenvironment (TME). The authors developed a pipeline that combines a single-cell tracking system, cell fate simulation, and a three-dimensional TME simulation to study the spatiotemporal dynamics of cancer cells and their interaction with the TME. The study focused on the modification of glycans called α2-6 sialic acid (2-6Sia), which is known to be associated with cancer stemness and malignancy. The findings revealed that pancreatic cancer cells exhibited elevated 2-6Sia modification, indicating a higher reproductive capacity, while only a small fraction of cervical cancer cells displayed this modification. By using a cell fate simulation algorithm, the researchers were able to further investigate the impact of 2-6Sia expression on the fate of cancer cells. Additionally, a 3D TME simulation was performed, showing that pancreatic cancer cells were less influenced by the immune cell landscape in the TME compared to cervical cancer cells. This study has the potential to uncover new insights into the behavior of cancer cells within the TME.
Original article: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/508705v3