Multicellular force coordination constructs microchannel networks for barrier-free metastasis across extracellular matrix.

ABSTRACT: The extracellular matrix (ECM) acts as a primary physical barrier to cancer metastasis. While individual cancer cells can remodel ECM to create microchannel-like paths of least resistance, this cell-centric view overlooks the coordinated dynamics of multicellular communication. Here, we reveal that cancer cells collaboratively reprogram ECM to construct interconnected microchannel networks functioning as "superhighways" for barrier-free metastasis. Combining live-cell imaging, atomic force microscopy, and optical tweezers, we decode that the indispensable step in microchannel network construction is organized cross-convergence of adjacent channels. The convergence is precisely directed by mechanical bridges composed of aligned collagen bundles between adjacent channels, which transmit orie

SUBMITTER: Gao H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12716403 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature