A research has discovered in a world first the mechanism of how cancer cells migrate during metastasis. Shown is Heo Won Do, endowed chair professor of the Department of Biological Sciences at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), who participated in the study. (KAIST)

By Jeon Misun

Domestic researchers have discovered in a world first the previously unknown mechanism of the migration path of cancer cells during metastasis.

The results are expected to provide important clues to finding the causes of diseases such as cancer metastasis and immune disorders and helping develop new therapeutic strategies.

The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) on Nov. 10 said a team led by Heo Won Do, endowed chair professor of the university's Department of Biological Sciences, in collaboration with another group led by Cho Kwang-Hyun, KAIST professor of bio and brain engineering, and another headed by Lee Gabsang, a professor at Johns Hopkins University of the U.S., identified the molecular mechanism that enables cells to determine their direction of movement without external cues.

The teams developed the new imaging method INSPECT (INtracellular Separation of Protein Engineered Condensation Technique), which enables direct visualization of how proteins bind within cells using fluorescent signals. This technology enabled the team to confirm that whether a cell moves in a straight line or shifts direction is determined by which proteins the Rho family proteins, the key regulators of cell movement, bind to.

The Cdc42–FMNL protein complex was found to act as a key circuit in the cell's "straightforward movement," while the Rac1–ROCK complex was confirmed to play a central role in "directional turning."

"We confirmed that cell movement is not random but precisely regulated by an intrinsic program created by an ensemble of Rho signaling proteins and cell migration-related proteins," Heo said.

"INSPECT can visualize intracellular protein interactions at high resolution, and thus is expected to be widely used to not just diseases like cancer metastasis but also neural cell migration and other biological phenomena and disease mechanisms."

The results of the study was published on Oct. 31 in Nature Communications, a leading global science journal.

msjeon22@korea.kr