RAB5A Promotes Active Fluid Wetting by Reprogramming Breast Cancer Spheroid Mechanics.

ABSTRACT: Unjamming transitions from a solid-like to a fluid-like state are a gateway to breast epithelial cancer invasion. However, the mechanical interplay between phase transitions and dimension transitions, in particular wetting, remains elusive, despite being critical for understanding the onset of metastatic dissemination. This study shows that unjamming, mediated by the RAB5A GTPase, alters carcinoma spheroid fluidity, rigidity, and rewires adhesion mechanics to drive supracellular active wetting as a new mode of tumor expansion. Spheroid fluidification enhances the selective expression of integrin subunits and increases focal adhesion dynamics, inducing a fluid-like spreading behavior on specific matrix ligands. Notably, nanoscale regulation of integrin clustering can select for distinct pha

SUBMITTER: Lemahieu G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12442610 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature