I want to know whether tumor cells learn to choose the best phenotypic behavior (i.e., apoptosis, necrosis, proliferation or quiescence) based on the environment (e.g., oxygen level) by time passing. I were wondering if anybody could answer my question and introduce some good resources in this regard?
You mean the fittest behavior based on environment , not "the best phenotypic behavior"?
Dear Ahmed,
I don't get your point! What's the difference between the best phenotypic behavior and the fittest phenotypic behavior?
Dear Negin,
I don't think that apoptosis or necrosis is better as a phenotypic behavior for cell than to survive or to proliferate.
The rule for any cell or organism to fight to maintain their life.
Then the survival is virtually for the fittest
Then you may want to ask whether the model is deterministic or stochastic?
Dear Ahmed,
You're right. Now, I express my question clearer:
Do tumor cells learn to choose apoptosis or necrosis under low level oxygen condition and proliferation under high level oxygen condition by time passing?
So, I guess these behaviors are the fittest behaviors as you said.
Oh, and being "deterministic" or "stochastic" doesn't really matter to me!
Dear Negin,
I think low oxygen tension give growth advantage for malignant cells over normal cells because malignant cell can adapt to these conditions by shifting to anaerobic glycolysis which offer building blocks (as nucleotide synthesis) , so essential for malignant growth.
Dear Ahmed,
Actually, the emphasis of my question is on "learning". So, do you think tumor cells learn the fittest behavior based on the environment over time?
Tumors are usually highly heterogeneous. Many clones are present in the same tumor, even in the same patient if you have taken multiple samples from the same tumor.
The fittest clone usually overrides other clones. Many factors, intrinsic in the tumor cell, and extrinsic, in the surrounding micro-environment interact together to determine which of these clones will be the dominant clone.
Intrinsic factors include genetic, epigenetic control, whether the mutation is a driver or passenger mutations.
Extrinsic factors include cross talk with other cells and signaling pathways.
I think the cellular processes in malignant tumors is too complex to be learned.
Under the normal conditions, i think cellular processes as proliferation, differentiation & apoptosis may be learned in many cases as a deterministic (pre-defined) process
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