Events
Start of main content
Cell competition, apoptosis and cancer
Life and Matter Sciences International Symposium October 25-26, 2016 Madrid
General information
Venue: Fundación Ramón Areces, Vitruvio, 5. 28006. Madrid
Limited capacity
- Free registration
Organized by:
Fundación Ramón Areces
Coordinator/s:
Yasuyuki FujitaHokkaido University. Sapporo. Japan.
Ginés MorataCentro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa. CSIC-UAM. Spain
Miguel TorresCentro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III. Spain
- Description
- Programme
The phenomenon of cell competition is an interactive process originally discovered in Drosophila; it is a developmental mechanism that identifies and eliminates cells that are weaker than their neighbours or have features that make them different or not well adapted to their surroundings. It appears to be an important homeostatic mechanism to contribute to the general fitness of developing tissues. Within this surveillance function cell competition appears to be responsible for the removal of malignant or aberrant cells that may appear during development, indicating that it normally functions as a tumour suppressing mechanism. Several recent studies from the vertebrate field indicate that cell competition also occurs in vertebrates where it performs similar functions. Thus it appears to be a universal mechanism of the Animal Kingdom responsible for the elimination of unfit or undesirable cells that may compromise the fitness or viability of the organism.
One appealing aspect of the cell competition phenomenon is its connection with tumorigenesis, which has been analysed both in Drosophila and in vertebrates. The role of cell competition as tumour suppressor derives from its general surveillance function described above; it recognises tumour cells as aberrant and proceeds to eliminate them. Studies in Drosophila have shown that the elimination of outcompeted cells occurs by regular apoptosis mediated by the activation of the Jun-N terminal Kinase (JNK) pathway that induces the function of pro-apoptotic genes like hid or reaper. As in Drosophila, cell competition in vertebrates also appears to have a therapeutic role in eliminating oncogenic cells in vitro and in vivo. Furthermore, compromising cell competition in the progenitors of T cells gives rise to lymphoblastic leukaemia that resembles closely the human disease.
One unexpected observation, made in Drosophila but also in the mouse is that programmed cell death (apoptosis), which normally functions as anti-tumour factor, can also act stimulating tumour growth. Secreted growth factors like Wingless (Wg) and Decapentaplegic (Dpp) in Drosophila and Prostaglandin E2 in mouse cells appear to be responsible for the growth stimulus. Since cell competition is an apoptotic phenomenon it has raised the possibility that it may also act stimulating tumour growth when there is a continuous flux of cells entering cell competition/apoptosis. The molecular mechanism behind this proliferative signalling from apoptotic cells has not been elucidated, although signalling pathways associated with apoptosis, like the JNK pathway, appear to be involved.
In the International Meeting on Cell Competition in Development and Cancer sponsored by the Fundación Ramon Areces, the leading figures in the field will get together to present the most recent results and have an open discussion about the general mechanisms and overall function of cell competition. Of special interest will be the presentation of new results establishing the role of cell competition in vertebrates. The links between apoptosis, cell competition and tumorigenesis, together with the molecular mechanisms of cell competition, will also be major themes of discussion.
Tuesday, 25
9:30
Opening session
Federico Mayor Zaragoza
Chairman, Scientific Council. Fundación Ramón Areces. Spain.
José María Medina
Deputy Chairman, Scientific Council. Fundación Ramón Areces. Spain.
Yasuyuki Fujita
Ginés Morata
Miguel Torres
Coordinators of the symposium.
FIRST SESSION: Cell competition in development
Chairperson:
Eduardo Moreno
Champalimaud Centre. Lisbon. Portugal.
9:45
Genetic analysis of Minute cell competition
Nicholas Baker
Albert Einstein College. Nueva York. USA.
10:25
Live analysis of Myc-regulated spontaneous competition in embryonic pluripotent cells
Miguel Torres
Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC). Madrid. Spain.
11:05
In vivo analysis of spontaneous competitive apoptosis in Drosophila epidermis
Erina Kuranaga
Riken Center. Kobe. Japan.
11:45
Break
12:00
Metabolic control of tissue repair and homeostasis in Drosophila
Masayuki Miura
Tokio University. Japan.
12:40
Epithelial cell turnover corrects developmental distortion: a possible role of cell competition in morphogenetic robustness
Tatsushi Igaki
Kyoto University. Japan.
13:20
How does cell competition contribute to animal development?
Laura Johnston
Columbia University. Nueva York. USA.
14:00
Break
SECOND SESSION: Mechanisms of cell competition
Chairperson:
Miguel Torres
Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC). Madrid. Spain.
16:00
Three types of cell competition: resources, direct fitness comparison and mechanical
Eduardo Moreno
Champalimaud Centre. Lisboa. Portugal.
16:40
Cell Competition and Warburg Effect
Yasuyuki Fujita
Hokkaido University. Sapporo. Japan.
17:20
Break
17:40
How the JAK/STAT pathway controls competitive interactions between cells
Erika Bach
New York University. USA.
18:20
The making of a loser cell
Eugenia Piddini
Gurdon Institute. Cambridge. UK.
19:00
mTOR regulation of cell fitness during early mammalian development
Tristan Rodriguez
Imperial College London. UK.
Wednesday, 26
THIRD SESSION: Apoptosis, cell competition and cancer. I
Chairperson:
Yasuyuki Fujita
Hokkaido University. Sapporo. Japan.
9:30
Regulation of apoptosis by IAPs and their antagonists
Hermann Steller
Rockefeller University. Nueva York. USA.
10:10
ARTS protein regulates apoptosis and tumour suppression by causing degradation of XIAP and Bcl-2
Sarit Larisch
University of Haifa. Israel.
10:50
Tumour development at the edge: p53 and cell competition
Ignacio Flores
Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC). Madrid. Spain.
11:30
Break
12:00
Short talks
13:30
Break
FOURTH SESSION: Apoptosis, cell competition and cancer. II
Chairperson:
Peter A. Lawrence
University of Cambridge. UK.
15:30
Signalling by apoptotic cells in development and cancer
Ainhoa Pérez-Garijo
Rockefeller University. Nueva York.USA.
16:10
El papel de la apoptosis en competición celular y formación de tumores
Ginés Morata
Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa. CSIC-UAM. Madrid. Spain.
16:50
Cell competition in T lymphocyte development
Vera Martins
Gulbenkian Institute. Lisbon. Portugal.
17:30
General Discussion: The role(s) of Cell competition in Development and Cancer
-
Activities related
-
Projects related
-
News related
-
Publications related
-
7
Mar
2023
International Symposium Membrane-Less Organelles in Cell Life and Disease Sevilla, Tuesday and Wednesday, 7 and 8 March 2023, 10:15 hours
-
16
Mar
2023
Conference Nuevas estrategias contra el cáncer: poner el carro delante de los caballos Madrid, Thursday, 16 March 2023, 19:00 hours
-
18
May
2023
Session Riesgo cardiovascular en largos supervivientes de cáncer infantil Madrid, Thursday, 18 May 2023, 9:30 hours
- Tumor microbiome and immune profiles as predictors of treatment response in high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIT-BC Study) 2020 Senior Researcher : Nuria Malats Riera y Ravid Straussman Research Centre or Institution : Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas. Madrid y el Weizman Institute of Science. Rehovot
- Spanish National Brain Metastasis Network (RENACER): Implementation, Development and Coordination 2020 Senior Researcher : Eva Ortega Paíno Research Centre or Institution : Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Oncológicas (CNIO). Madrid
- Exploring post-translational regulation of angiogenic and inflammatory-related processes during colorectal cancer progession and differential recurrence 2020 Senior Researcher : Petronila Penela Márquez Research Centre or Institution : Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa. CSIC - UAM

Stem cells and organoids. Unlocking their potential to understand and treat disease
Febrero 2018 Nature Papers
End of main content