Cell competition: Emerging mechanisms to eliminate neighbors

Cell competition is a context ‐dependent cell elimination through short‐range cell–cell interaction, in which cells with higher fitness eliminate neighboring less‐fit or oncogenic cells. In this review, we summarize recent progresses on the mechanisms and roles of cell competition and discuss outstanding questions, newly emerged questions, and future perspectives. AbstractCell competition is a context ‐dependent cell elimination through short‐range cell–cell interaction, in which cells with higher fitness eliminate neighboring less‐fit or oncogenic cells within the growing tissue. Cell competition can be triggered by many different factors such as heterozygous mutations in the ribosomal p rotein genes (which are called “Minute” mutations), elevated Myc, Yorkie/YAP, Wg/Wnt, JAK‐STAT, Ras, or Src activity, and loss ofMahjong/VprBP, endocytic pathway components, or apicobasal cell polarity. Studies on the mechanisms and roles of cell competition have suggested that cell competition can be divided into two types: selection of fitter cells or elimination of oncogenic cells. The former type of cell competition includesMinute or Myc ‐induced cell competition that is considered to be dependent on the relative level of protein synthesis. The later type of cell competition includes tumor‐suppressive cell competition triggered by loss of cell polarity genes such asscribble (scrib) ordiscs large (dlg). Genetic studies inDrosophila during the past decade have pro...

Source: Development, Growth and Differentiation - November 15, 2018 Category: Research Authors: Rina Nagata, Tatsushi Igaki Tags: REVIEW ARTICLE Source Type: research