The main aim of this thesis was to unravel the signaling and regulatory networks that drive tumor cell migration during breast cancer metastasis. Understanding how tumor cells migrate, how this process is differentially regulated, and how this highly heterogeneous and plastic behavior is coordinated during metastatic dissemination, will ultimately provide novel insights in therapeutic opportunities. The work presented in this thesis includes different microscopy techniques and analytical tools to study migratory behavior (Chapters 2, 3, 4, and 5), reveals an important role for adhesion GPCRs in cell adhesion and migration (Chapter 3), provides a compendium of genes that drive tumor cell migration in breast cancer (Chapter 4), and investigates the intricate connection between adhesion dynamics, cell migration and contractility (Chapter 5). Collectively, this work provides novel insights in the molecular determinants of tumor cell...
Show more
The main aim of this thesis was to unravel the signaling and regulatory networks that drive tumor cell migration during breast cancer metastasis. Understanding how tumor cells migrate, how this process is differentially regulated, and how this highly heterogeneous and plastic behavior is coordinated during metastatic dissemination, will ultimately provide novel insights in therapeutic opportunities. The work presented in this thesis includes different microscopy techniques and analytical tools to study migratory behavior (Chapters 2, 3, 4, and 5), reveals an important role for adhesion GPCRs in cell adhesion and migration (Chapter 3), provides a compendium of genes that drive tumor cell migration in breast cancer (Chapter 4), and investigates the intricate connection between adhesion dynamics, cell migration and contractility (Chapter 5). Collectively, this work provides novel insights in the molecular determinants of tumor cell migration and will help us better understand the signaling landscape that drives the formation of breast cancer metastases.
Show less
