Distinct roles of protrusions and collagen deformation in collective invasion of cancer cell types.

ABSTRACT: The breast tumor microenvironment is composed of heterogeneous cell populations, including normal epithelial cells, cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), and tumor cells that lead collective cell invasion. Both leader tumor cells and CAFs are known to play important roles in tumor invasion across the collagen-rich stromal boundary. However, their individual abilities to utilize their cell-intrinsic protrusions and perform force-based collagen remodeling to collectively invade remain unclear. To compare collective invasion phenotypes of leader-like tumor cells and CAFs, we embedded spheroids composed of 4T1 tumor cells or mouse tumor-derived CAF cell lines within 3D collagen gels and analyzed their invasion and collagen deformation. We found that 4T1s undergo greater invasion while generati

SUBMITTER: Lee YL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12256826 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature