Cell competition confers anchorage plasticity of disseminated tumor cells

Cell competition within the primary tumor drives tumor growth by promoting the uncontrolled proliferation of winner cells and eliminating loser cells by sensing cell fitness. However, the mechanism of how cell competition confers the loser cells with the metastatic potential of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) to transit between dissemination and colonization remains elusive. Here we found cell competition gives rise to less fit but viable cells that transformed into CTCs via adherent-to-suspension transition (AST) mechanisms. The induction of hematopoietic transcription factors hijacked by solid tumor cells rendered CTCs competent to reprogram their anchorage dependency and disseminate into the bloodstream, while subsequent suppression of these factors was critical to regain adhesion and colonize metastatic lesions. Disrupting the oscillatory dynamics of AST factors blocked the adherent-suspension plasticity (ASP) of breast cancer CTCs and suppressed lung metastasis. Furthermore, multiregional single-cell transcriptomic analyses of matched primary tumors, CTCs, and metastatic lesions from de novo metastatic breast cancer patients demonstrate the critical role of ASP in metastasis. SignificanceWe demonstrate cell competition-mediated displacement of loser cells manifests dynamic oscillation of AST factors that confer anchorage plasticity to circulating tumor cells critical for their dissemination and colonization in metastasis. These findings highlight the potential of targeting AST factors to develop effective anti-metastatic therapies.