In vitro, and in vivo, experiments would be expected to tell us the minimal diameter an invading cancer cell can get through. It would be much smaller than the static diameter of the cell. But what is it?
Dear Ericsson
The question posed by you is interesting, but it would also depend upon the original size of the invading cell as all the invading cells from diverse epithelial-origin cancers are not equal in size and their mode of sneaking or squeezing through more intriguing. Possibly we may look forward to some explanation from studies on emigration of inflammatory cells out of vasculature, but there again, the mode is little different.
Regards
Dear Ericsson,
This would depend on the dell type on one hand and on the characteristics of the “holes” on the other. Depending in the material, on the characteristics of the surface of the hole, I would expect the results to differ. But in vivo, the invading cancer cell will “modify” the holes, may even create new holes - think about matrix proteases. So, the maximal hole size in a given material does not tell us much about invasion and metastasis – or what is the background of your question?
As mentioned above, invading cells are characterized by an enormous plasticity. A lot of our assumptions deducted from 2D cell cultures have to be revised. A very informative review is the following: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22118458. Moreover, when you look for some of the movies Peter Friedl's lab made of migrating cells through 3D collagen matrices (Particular when their degrading enzymes had been inhibited) it is amazing to watch cells squeezing through narrow holes.
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