Working together: Heterotypic clusters and collective cell migration in melanoma metastasis

In this issue of Developmental Cell, Campbell et al. (2021) show that melanoma cells with distinct invasive or proliferative gene signatures can form heterotypic clusters that extravasate collectively and readily seed the growth of metastatic lesions. These findings highlight interactions between heterogenous tumor cells as being critical for metastasis.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates the critical role of interactions between heterogeneous melanoma cells in promoting collective extravasation and seeding the growth of metastatic lesions. Such findings emphasize the importance of heterotypic clusters in the metastasis process.