Mechanical properties of the tumor stromal microenvironment probed in vitro and ex vivo by in situ-calibrated optical trap-based active microrheology.

ABSTRACT: One of the hallmarks of the malignant transformation of epithelial tissue is the modulation of stromal components of the microenvironment. In particular, aberrant extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling and stiffening enhances tumor growth and survival and promotes metastasis. Type I collagen is one of the major ECM components. It serves as a scaffold protein in the stroma contributing to the tissue's mechanical properties, imparting tensile strength and rigidity to tissues such as those of the skin, tendons, and lungs. Here we investigate the effects of intrinsic spatial heterogeneities due to fibrillar architecture, pore size and ligand density on the microscale and bulk mechanical properties of the ECM. Type I collagen hydrogels with topologies tuned by polymerization temperature and conc

SUBMITTER: Staunton JR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5065074 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature