One of the most dangerous properties of cancer cells is their ability to invade the surrounding matrix, spread throughout the body, and establish secondary tumors. Anti-metastatic therapy is complicated by the plasticity of invasion modes that cancer cells can adopt, which enables them to adjust to the changing environment and/or escape therapeutic intervention. When invading individually, cancer cells most commonly utilize the protease-dependent mesenchymal invasion mode or the amoeboid mode that relies on enhanced cell contractility. Cells invading in either mode can switch to the other by mesenchymal-amoeboid (MAT) or amoeboid-mesenchymal transitions (AMT). This plasticity has been intensively studied for over two decades, however it is still not clear where it stems from in vivo. 

Available datasets:

  • Transcriptomic profiling of HT1080 fibrosarcoma cells of mesenchymal or amoeboid migratory phenotype (E-MTAB-6823)
  • RNA-seq of human melanoma cell line A375m2 treated with SB202190 OR BIRB796 against DMSO-treated controls (E-MTAB-9273)
  • RNA-seq of primary human M2-polarized macrophages cultured in either high-concentration or low-concentration type I collagen (E-MTAB-6643)

Related publications:

  • The emerging role of microtubules in invasion plasticity. Legátová A, Pelantová M, Rösel D, Brábek J, Škarková A. Front Oncol. 2023 Feb 13;13:1118171. DOI PMID
  • RNA-seq Characterization of Melanoma Phenotype Switch in 3D Collagen after p38 MAPK Inhibitor Treatment. Čermák V, Škarková A, Merta L, Kolomazníková V, Palušová V, Uldrijan S, Rösel D, Brábek J. 2021. Biomolecules. 17;11(3):449. DOI
  • High-Throughput Transcriptomic and Proteomic Profiling of Mesenchymal-Amoeboid Transition in 3D Collagen. Čermák, Vladimír, Aneta Gandalovičová, Ladislav Merta, Karel Harant, Daniel Rösel, and Jan Brábek. 2020. Scientific Data 7 (1). DOI
  • Increased Level of Long Non-Coding RNA MALAT1 Is a Common Feature of Amoeboid Invasion. Merta, Ladislav, Aneta Gandalovičová, Vladimír Čermák, Michal Dibus, Tony Gutschner, Sven Diederichs, Daniel Rösel, and Jan Brábek. 2020. Cancers 12 (5). DOI
  • Sustained Inflammatory Signalling through Stat1/Stat2/IRF9 Is Associated with Amoeboid Phenotype of Melanoma Cells. Aneta Gandalovičová, Anna-Marie Šůchová, Vladimír Čermák, Ladislav Merta, Daniel Rösel, and Jan Brábek. 2020. Cancers 12 (9). DOI
  • RNA-Seq of Macrophages of Amoeboid or Mesenchymal Migratory Phenotype Due to Specific Structure of Environment. Čermák, Vladimír, Aneta Gandalovičová, Ladislav Merta, Jitka Fučíková, Radek Špíšek, Daniel Rösel, and Jan Brábek. 2018. Scientific Data 5. DOI
  • Quantitative Phase Imaging Unravels New Insight into Dynamics of Mesenchymal and Amoeboid Cancer Cell Invasion. Tolde, Ondřej, Aneta Gandalovičová, Aneta Křížová, Pavel Veselý, Radim Chmelík, Daniel Rosel, and Jan Brábek. 2018. Scientific Reports 8 (1): 12020. DOI
  • PKCα Promotes the Mesenchymal to Amoeboid Transition and Increases Cancer Cell Invasiveness. Vaškovičová, Katarína, Emilia Szabadosová, Vladimír Čermák, Aneta Gandalovičová, Lenka Kasalová, Daniel Rösel, and Jan Brábek. 2015. BMC Cancer 15: 326. DOI
  • The Molecular Mechanisms of Transition between Mesenchymal and Amoeboid Invasiveness in Tumor Cells. Panková, K, D Rösel, M Novotný, and Jan Brábek. 2010. .” Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences . 67 (1): 63–71. DOI