Nara Institute of Science Technology or NAIST researchers reported in a new study a method by which cells may use fingers to communicate instructions for wound closure.
EurekAlert compared the new approach to science fiction it described as reminiscent of the movie ET in 1982, in which the trailer is shown on Movieclips Classic Trailers' YouTube video below. In this article, this particular source had an introductory question: What if one found out that he could heal using only his finger?
It turns out, the report said, that the human body's own cells can do something that is similarly surprising or unanticipated.
Shiro Suetsugu, the NAIST project leader, has dedicated his career to examining how cells shape themselves, initiate and receive communication among each other.
Read also: First Time in the World: Demonstration of Ultra Pressure Sensor Attached to the Fingertips
'Filopodia'
As indicated in the research, an 'under-appreciated' way of doing so is through 'filopodia,' tiny finger-like cellular projections that are typically known to help specific cells crawl in the body.
According to Suetsugu, filopodia are well-identified as 'cellular locomotion machinery." He added that less understood is the manner 'filopodia' helps communicate the molecular details of how such an approach is made.
A concentration of this line of study needs to be the proteins identified by the I-BAR acronym. These are proteins well-known to help bend the plasma membrane, the so-called 'skin of many cells,' for the formation of filopodia and, therefore, facilitate movement.
The 'I-BAR' Protein
The researchers were able to identify an I-BAR protein, the project leader said, that separates filopodia. An essential element of this scission, he added, maybe mechanical force, a stimulus that the body typically applies to cells.
Laser experiments revealed that the force needed for such a scission is roughly eight to 20 kilopascals. These forces are the same as the four to 13 kilopascals the cells experienced in blood capillaries, explained Suetsugu.
Severed filopodia continue to form structures known as extracellular vesicles, a famous research topic in biology.
Extracellular vesicles were used to fundamentally be considered the trash bags of cells used to dispose of cellular waste. Nonetheless, the vesicles are now considered to be 'communication packets,' instead of waste bags.
These vesicles' persistence to cancer metastasis has piqued both clinicians' and researchers' interest, said Suetsugu.
Cell-Cell Communication
To answer the question, what such an approach has to do with cell-cell communication. This source specified that a simulated cell-scale would be healed more quickly when treated using filopodia-derived extracellular vesicles if remained untreated.
This means that an I-BAR protein initially induced filopodia scission and vesicle production. These vesicles then delivered cellular signals that promoted migration of cells toward one another in a manner that may promote closure of the wound.
By understanding how cells completely use their molecular machinery to deliver instructions to other cells, the project leader said he is optimistic that medical practitioners will safely develop new approaches to treat cancer and other illnesses.
Specifically, Suetsugu said, certain BAR proteins are pertinent as well to cell locomotion. More so, he explained that by learning more about the manner these proteins are aiding 'cell-cell communication,' better ways may be found to stop the spread of cancer cells.
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