Figure 3.

Human and Drosophila models of intercellular interactions and their effect on cancer. The cartoon depicts the similarities in cell-cell signaling interactions that can occur in human cancer cells (A) or in Drosophila cancer models (B). (A): The cartoon illustrates how radiation could produce signals that affect the heterogeneous cancer cells such that the cells that die of radiotherapy (radiation sensitive) produce a signal that induces proliferation of the surviving (radiation-resistant) cancer cells. (B): A similar interaction occurs in Drosophila mosaic cancer models, in which dying cells (apoptotic clones induced by the loss of tumor suppressor genes, e.g., scrib^−/−) produce signals that can synergize with the neighboring oncogenic clones (induced by activation of oncogene, e.g., Ras^V12), to promote growth, progression, and therapy resistance of cancer cells. Abbreviations: dJNK, Drosophila Jun-N-terminal kinase; Wg, Drosophila Wnt.