The transition from normal to malignant state in human cells is still a poorly understood process. Changes in the dynamical activity of intracellular water between healthy and cancerous human cells were probed as an innovative approach for unveiling particular features of malignancy and identifying specific reporters of cancer. Androgen-unresponsive prostate and triple-negative breast carcinomas were studied as well as osteosarcoma, using the technique of quasi-elastic neutron scattering. The cancerous cells showed a considerably higher plasticity relative to their healthy counterparts, this being more significant for the mammary adenocarcinoma. Also, the data evidence that the prostate cancer cells display the highest plasticity when compared to triple-negative mammary cancer and osteosarcoma, the latter being remarkably less flexible. Furthermore, the results suggest differences between the flexibility of different types of intracellular water molecules in normal and cancerous cells, as well as the number of molecules involved in the different modes of motion. The dynamics of hydration water molecules remain virtually unaffected when going from healthy to cancer cells, while cytoplasmic water (particularly the rotational motions) undergoes significant changes upon normal-to-cancer transition. The results obtained along this study can potentially help to understand the variations in cellular dynamics underlying carcinogenesis and tumor metastasis, with an emphasis on intracellular water.

中文翻译：

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细胞内水在人类细胞从正常到癌症的转变中的作用-准弹性中子散射的见解

从人类细胞正常状态到恶性状态的转变仍然是一个鲜为人知的过程。探索了健康和癌性人类细胞之间的细胞内水动力学活性的变化，作为揭示恶性肿瘤的特定特征和鉴定癌症的特定报道者的创新方法。使用准弹性中子散射技术对雄激素无反应性前列腺癌和三阴性乳腺癌以及骨肉瘤进行了研究。癌细胞显示出比其健康对应物更高的可塑性，这对于乳腺腺癌更为重要。同样，数据证明，与三阴性乳腺癌和骨肉瘤相比，前列腺癌细胞显示出最高的可塑性，而后者的柔韧性明显降低。此外，结果表明正常细胞和癌细胞中不同类型的细胞内水分子的柔韧性以及参与不同运动方式的分子数量之间存在差异。当从健康细胞转移到癌细胞时，水合水分子的动力学几乎不会受到影响，而细胞质水（尤其是旋转运动）在从正常到癌变的过程中会发生重大变化。这项研究获得的结果可能有助于理解致癌和肿瘤转移的细胞动力学变化，重点是细胞内水。以及参与不同运动方式的分子数量。当从健康细胞转移到癌细胞时，水合水分子的动力学几乎不会受到影响，而细胞质水（尤其是旋转运动）在从正常到癌变的过程中会发生重大变化。这项研究获得的结果可能有助于理解致癌和肿瘤转移的细胞动力学变化，重点是细胞内水。以及参与不同运动方式的分子数量。当从健康细胞转移到癌细胞时，水合水分子的动力学几乎不会受到影响，而细胞质水（尤其是旋转运动）在从正常到癌变的过程中会发生重大变化。这项研究获得的结果可能有助于理解致癌和肿瘤转移的细胞动力学变化，重点是细胞内水。