Adapt or Die. Investigating the molecular basis of cell variability

Cancer cells are highly proliferative. Drugs that impair cell proliferation – antimitotic drugs – are indeed quite effective in treating cancer. Their mechanism of action is quite well understood. Several antimitotic drugs impair microtubule polymerization and thus do not allow cells to segregate their chromosomes. Cells arrested in their division cycle, however, will not remain arrested forever. Some will die and some will adapt resuming proliferation. The choice between these two fates is stochastic, with virtually identical cells going different paths. With a combination of mathematical models and live-cell imaging, we have analyzed the phenomenon of adaptation, and we have identified a possible source of variability that contributes to determine cell fate under constant drug treatment.