Piotr Szukało

Mr. Piotr Szukało


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

2Years (2025-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

View All Publications
25 September 2025 in Cells
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
PTPaweł Tyrna
Paweł Tyrna
NKN/A Kostro
N/A Kostro
MOMonika Olszanecka
Monika Olszanecka
PSPiotr Szukało
Piotr Szukało
IMIzabela Mlynarczuk-Bialy
Izabela Mlynarczuk-Bialy
Entosis is a form of cell-in-cell interaction observed in epithelial cancers, characterized by the internalization of one cell into another. This process is initiated by cell detachment, cadherin-mediated homotypic adhesion, and the formation of an entotic vacuole. Mechanistically, entosis is driven by Rho/ROCK signaling and actomyosin contractility in the invading (inner) cell, which becomes stiffer and is pulled into the softer host (outer) cell. A functional assay using differently stained cell populations allows for the assessment of pharmacological interventions on either the inner or outer cell during entosis. In this study, we investigated the impact of MEK pathway inhibition on entosis in two epithelial cancer cell lines, BxPC3 (pancreatic cancer) and MCF7 (breast cancer). BxPC3 cells, which rely on adhesion, exhibited a significant reduction in entotic index upon MEK inhibition. In contrast, MCF7 cells showed no selectivity of entosis to three different MEK inhibitors. These findings suggest cell-type-specific regulation of entosis, potentially linked to differences in protrusion formation mechanisms and upstream Ras signaling pathways previously implicated in cancer cell motility.