Brain tumor stem cell dancing

Abstract

Background. Issues regarding cancer stem cell (CSC) movement are important in neu-rosphere biology as cell-cell or cell-environment interactions may have significant impacts on CSC differentiation and contribute to the heterogeneity of the neurosphere. 
Aims. Despite the growing body of literature data on the biology of brain tumor stem  cells, floating CSC-derived neurospheres have been scarcely characterized from a morphological and ultrastructural point of view.
Results. Here we report a morphological and ultrastructural characterization performed  by  live  imaging  and  scanning  electron  microscopy.  Glioblastoma  multiforme  (GBM)  CSC-derived neurospheres are heterogeneous and are constituted by cells, morphologically different, capable of forming highly dynamic structures. These dynamic structures  are regulated by not serendipitous cell-cell interactions, and they synchronously pulsate  following a cyclic course made of “fast” and “slow” alternate phases. Autocrine/paracrine  non  canonical  Wnt  signalling  appears  to  be  correlated  with  the  association  status  of  neurospheres.
Conclusions. The results obtained suggest that GBM CSCs can behave both as independents cells and as “social” cells, highly interactive with other members of its species,  giving rise to a sort of “multicellular organism”.