Cell-cell fusions and cell-in-cell phenomena in healthy cells and cancer: Lessons from protists and invertebrates

Abstract

Herein we analyze two special routes of the multinucleated cells' formation - the fusion of mononuclear cells and the formation of cell-in-cell structures - in the healthy tissues and in tumorigenesis. There are many theories of tumorigenesis based on the phenomenon of emergence of the hybrid cancer cells. We consider the phenomena, which are rarely mentioned in those theories: namely, cellularization of syncytium or coenocytes, and the reversible or irreversible somatogamy. The latter includes the short-term and the long-term vegetative (somatic) cells' fusions in the life cycles of unicellular organisms. The somatogamy and multinuclearity have repeatedly and independently emerged in various groups of unicellular eukaryotes. These phenomena are among dominant survival and biodiversity sustaining strategies in protists and we admit that they can likely play an analogous role in cancer cells.

Keywords: Cell-cell fusion; Cell-in-cell structures; Multinuclearity; Somatogamy; Tumorigenesis.