Microtentacles are
microtubule
Microtubules are polymers of tubulin that form part of the cytoskeleton and provide structure and shape to eukaryotic cells. Microtubules can be as long as 50 micrometres, as wide as 23 to 27 nm and have an inner diameter between 1 ...
-based membrane protrusions that occur in detached cells. They were discovered by scientists studying
metastatic
Metastasis is a pathogenic agent's spread from an initial or primary site to a different or secondary site within the host's body; the term is typically used when referring to metastasis by a cancerous tumor. The newly pathological sites, then, ...
breast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or ...
cells at the
University of Maryland, Baltimore
The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) is a public university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1807, it comprises some of the oldest professional schools of dentistry, law, medicine, pharmacy, social work and nursing in the United States ...
.
These novel structures are distinct from classical actin based extensions of adherent cells, persist for days in breast tumor lines that are resistant to apoptosis, and aid in the reattachment to matrix or cell monolayers.
The formation of microtentacles (McTNs) in detached or circulating tumor cells may promote seeding of bloodborne metastatic disease.
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*{{cite journal , last1 = Whipple , first1 = R.A. , last2 = Cheung , first2 = A.M. , last3 = Martin , first3 = S.S. , year = 2007 , title = Detyrosinated microtubule protrusions in suspended mammary epithelial cells promote reattachment , journal = Experimental Cell Research , volume = 313 , issue = 7, pages = 1326–36 , doi = 10.1016/j.yexcr.2007.02.001 , pmid=17359970 , pmc=3132414
Cell biology