When a cell divides normally, it replicates each chromosome and distributes it equally between the two new cells. This function is performed by a complex machine in the cell called the mitotic spindle. If something goes wrong at this stage, the two new cells will become aneuploidy, which means they will not have the correct number of chromosomes and make mistakes in sharing genetic information.
Cancer cells are aneuploidy, so understanding how and why this happens is extremely important to find out the origin of the disease.
Professor Stephen Royle's research team at the University of Warwick School of Medicine found this.
They found that some chromosomes may be lost and trapped in the entanglement of the membrane around the cell spindle, preventing the normal sharing of chromosomes and leading to abnormal cell division that may lead to cancer.
They made this discovery by performing some kind of "surgery" on living cells. The researchers invented a method to remove the entanglement of the membrane in which the chromosomes are trapped. As a result, the chromosomes are rescued by the spindle, causing normal healthy cells to divide.
This is the first evidence that chromosome trapping in these membranes is a direct risk factor for the formation of cancer cells. Understanding this risk can lead to more effective cancer prevention.
Professor Stephen Royle, Professor of cell biology at the University of Warwick School of medicine, commented: "many scientists studying cell division focus on the spindle: how it works and why it makes mistakes in cancer. In this paper, we shifted the focus and studied the membrane in dividing cells."
"We found that chromosomes can be trapped in the membrane, which is a disaster for dividing cells. It may turn a normal cell into a cancer cell. Preventing this process may be a way to treat the disease," said Dr. Nuria ferrandiz, the first author of the study