Capillary constrictions prime cancer cell tumorigenicity through PIEZO1.

ABSTRACT: Metastasis is a hallmark of cancer and is responsible for the majority of cancer-related deaths. Evidence suggests that even a single cancer cell can spread and seed a secondary tumour. However, not all circulating tumour cells have this ability, which implies that dissemination and distal growth require adaptative mechanisms during circulation. Here we report that constriction during microcapillary transit will trigger reprogramming of melanoma cells to a tumorigenic cancer stem cell-like state. Using a microfluidic device mimicking physiological flow rates and gradual capillary narrowing, we showed that compression through narrow channels lead to cell and nuclear deformation, rapid changes in chromatin state and increased calcium handling through the mechanosensor PIEZO1. Within minutes

SUBMITTER: Silvani G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12330622 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature