Drosophila invasive tumors: a model for understanding metastasis

Abstract

Inactivation of Drosophila tumor suppressor genes can cause excessive proliferation and, in some cases, neoplastic growth. Neoplastic growth in Drosophila tissues can also be followed by metastasis upon transplantation into hosts or in vivo. Recently, we have shown that metastatic tumors of Drosophila can provide a model in which to identify genes that are involved in the metastatic process.