New studies reveal how DNA movement and cell mechanics drive cancer development

Wednesday 01 April 2026 - 14:50

By: Dakir Madiha

New studies reveal how DNA movement and cell mechanics drive cancer development

A wave of new research is transforming scientific understanding of cancer at its most fundamental level. Several studies published in recent weeks show that the physical behavior of DNA and the internal mechanics of cells play a far greater role in cancer development and spread than previously understood, opening potential new therapeutic targets.

Researchers at the Salk Institute, publishing in Nature Genetics, found that DNA does not function as the static blueprint long depicted in textbooks. Instead, it folds and unfolds constantly at varying speeds, with the most active genomic regions restructuring rapidly to support genetic activity. The team found that dynamic DNA folding was particularly significant in regions tied to each cell's specific role — genes essential to heart function behaved dynamically in cardiac cells, while neuron-related genes did the same in brain cells. Disruptions to these folding patterns may be linked to cancer and developmental disorders.

Separately, researchers at Umeå University in Sweden demonstrated that a rare DNA configuration called i-DNA — a four-stranded knotted structure long considered a laboratory artifact — actually forms inside living cells and acts as a molecular switch for cancer-related genes. Published in Nature Communications, the study showed that a protein called PCBP1 unwinds i-DNA at a precise moment during cell division. When it fails to do so, DNA damage accumulates, a hallmark of cancer vulnerability. Nasim Sabouri, a professor at Umeå University, said that influencing i-DNA or the protein that unwinds it could potentially push cancer cells beyond their tolerance threshold.

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University identified a previously unknown system of internal fluid currents inside cells, compared to trade winds, that rapidly propel proteins toward the leading edge of moving cells. Published in Nature Communications, the findings challenge the widely held view that proteins move randomly inside cells. Using specialized imaging, the team showed that cells actively generate directional flows within a compartment bounded by an actin-myosin barrier.

The discovery has direct implications for understanding cancer metastasis. Study co-author Jim Galbraith noted that highly invasive cells possess a remarkable mechanism for routing proteins rapidly to where they are needed at the cell's front edge, and that targeting how cancer cells exploit these flows differently from normal cells could open new therapeutic avenues.

These studies add to other recent findings, including the identification by UC San Diego researchers of the enzyme N4BP2 as a direct cause of chromothripsis — a catastrophic chromosomal shattering event observed in roughly one in four cancers. That study, published in Science, showed that suppressing the enzyme substantially reduced genomic destruction in cancer cells. Taken together, the findings reflect a shift in cancer research toward understanding the physical and mechanical behavior of cells and their genetic material, not only mutations in DNA sequences.