Using 3D Invasion properties of RCC Cell Lines In Vitro to predict their Metastatic Potential In Vivo

Cesana, B.; Nemoz-Billet, L.; Azemard, V.; Pillet, C.; Bigot, E.; Chaumontel, N.; Descotes, J.-L.; OSMANI, O.; GOETZ, J. G.; Cochet, C.; Filhol, O.

doi:10.1101/2025.04.07.647527

bioRxiv · 10.1101/2025.04.07.647527

Using 3D Invasion properties of RCC Cell Lines In Vitro to predict their Metastatic Potential In Vivo

Cesana, B.·Nemoz-Billet, L.·Azemard, V.·Pillet, C.·Bigot, E.·Chaumontel, N.·Descotes, J.-L.·OSMANI, O.·GOETZ, J. G.·Cochet, C.·Filhol, O.

View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) exhibits significant heterogeneity, making it challenging to predict tumor aggressiveness and therapeutic response. To improve prognostic accuracy and develop tailored treatment strategies, it is crucial to mimic both cancer cells and their microenvironment in vitro. Using a combination of in vitro and in vivo models, we investigated the invasive properties of three RCC cell lines--RCC10, RCC7 and 786-O-- that displayed distinct signaling profiles, combining EMT characteristics and upregulation of key metastatic markers. Our findings revealed that RCC7 and 786-O exhibited greater metastatic potential than RCC10, as demonstrated by increased extravasation in zebrafish embryos and higher lung metastases in the chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) and mice models. Comparative pathway analysis indicated that RCC7 displays partial epithelial-mesenchymal transition (pEMT) characteristics and upregulates key metastatic markers. Furthermore, our 3D spheroid invasion model as well as our patient-derived RCC tumoroid system predicted accurately their metastatic behavior, closely mirroring their aggressiveness in vivo. Thus, these 3D models might be predictive of tumor outcome, underscoring their utility as reliable predictive tools for RCC progression and therapeutic response. Novelty and ImpactNon-uniform distribution of genetic and phenotypic subpopulations within RCC tumors causes many tumors of similar histological grade to have vastly different metastatic potential. We show that 3D spheroids and RCC patient-derived tumoroid models more accurately reflect in vivo invasive behavior than traditional 2D assays, providing powerful predictive tools for RCC aggressiveness and metastatic disease. These findings have significant implications for precision oncology, enabling better preclinical evaluation of the metastatic risk to the patient.

Source connections

Published article ↗

Explore related subjects

cell biology Preprint

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeX RIS

Cesana, B., Nemoz-Billet, L., Azemard, V., Pillet, C., Bigot, E., Chaumontel, N., Descotes, J.-L., OSMANI, O., GOETZ, J. G., Cochet, C., Filhol, O.. 2025-04-08. Using 3D Invasion properties of RCC Cell Lines In Vitro to predict their Metastatic Potential In Vivo. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.04.07.647527

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

bioRxiv2026

Differential requirement for the Ire1 luminal domain in Candida albicans drug susceptibility and pathogenicity

The opportunistic human pathogen Candida albicans depends on the unfolded protein response (UPR) for cell wall integrity, antifungal tolerance, filamentous growth, and virulence. The UPR is driven by the conserved transmembrane sensor Ire1, which is activated either by misfolded proteins through its luminal domain or by lipid bilayer stress (LBS) through its transmembrane domain. In budding yeast, these two activation modes deploy divergent transcriptional programs. Whether the requirement for these two input domains is separable in C. albicans, where the cell membrane and cell wall are themselves the targets of major antifungal drug classes, remains unknown. Here, we engineered a C. albicans strain expressing Ire1 lacking an intact luminal domain (ire1{Delta}LD), which no longer detects proteotoxic stress. The ire1{Delta}LD strain grew in the presence of the azole antifungals fluconazole and miconazole but was highly sensitive to heat shock, cell wall stress, and the echinocandin caspofungin. It was also unable to sustain filamentous growth and showed reduced virulence in a Caenorhabditis elegans infection model. RNA sequencing revealed only modest changes to the steady-state transcriptome of ire1{Delta}LD cells. Together, these findings define a differential requirement for the input domains of C. albicans Ire1, uncoupling growth under azole-induced membrane stress from the cell wall, thermal, and virulence-associated outputs that depend on proteotoxic sensing, a distinction that could inform antifungal strategies targeting the UPR.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2026

Nucleosome Core Allostery Governs Chromatin Recognition and Cell Fate

Nucleosomes regulate chromatin folding, accessibility, and factor recruitment. Current models primarily attribute these functions to histone tail modifications, while the core is largely viewed as a structural scaffold. Yet subtle changes within the nucleosome core can produce profound functional consequences, and the mechanisms underlying these effects remain unclear. Here, we describe nucleosome core allostery as a fundamental principle of chromatin regulation that amplifies the impact of minimal nucleosome variations. Leveraging natural differences between H2A.Z variants, we show that the nucleosome core encodes distinct conformational dynamics that propagate allosterically, thereby controlling nucleosome accessibility and recognition by chromatin factors. As a result, a single buried amino acid substitution alone is sufficient to reprogram nucleosome dynamics and bias cell identity. Our findings establish the nucleosome core as an allosteric regulatory module and provide a generalizable framework for how subtle variation within nucleosomes is amplified into diverse biological outcomes in development and disease.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2026

YAP/TAZ-controlled ERK dynamics coordinate progenitor expansion and differentiation commitment

Progenitor cells must proliferate to expand the cell population, yet terminal differentiation requires this proliferative state to end. How signaling controls the duration of this proliferative window remains poorly understood. Using adipogenesis and live single-cell imaging of differentiation, cell-cycle, and ERK-activity reporters, we show that YAP and TAZ coordinate progenitor expansion with differentiation commitment by regulating ERK dynamics. YAP/TAZ maintain cells in a fluctuating high-ERK state that promotes proliferation while actively keeping the differentiation driver PPARG below the threshold for irreversible commitment. Crucially, this differentiation block is not explained by proliferation alone: inhibiting CDK4/6 or AKT suppressed proliferation without restoring differentiation, whereas MEK-ERK inhibition restored differentiation even when YAP/TAZ activity remained high. As YAP/TAZ activity decreases, dampened ERK fluctuations trigger PPARG activation. These findings support a self-limiting model in which YAP/TAZ-driven progenitor expansion progressively increases cell density and contact-dependent Hippo signaling, reducing YAP/TAZ activity and terminating the proliferative phase. Consequently, transient YAP/TAZ activation expands the progenitor pool while preserving subsequent differentiation, whereas sustained activation suppresses commitment. Together, these findings identify YAP/TAZ-controlled ERK dynamics as the nexus coordinating progenitor expansion with terminal differentiation and suggest that slower density-dependent Hippo feedback may set the duration of this proliferative window to regulate differentiated cell-number output.

cell biology↗