Covalent cross-linking of basement membrane-like matrices physically restricts invasive protrusions in breast cancer cells.

ABSTRACT: The basement membrane (BM) provides a physical barrier to invasion in epithelial tumors, and alterations in the molecular makeup and structural integrity of the BM have been implicated in cancer progression. Invadopodia are the invasive protrusions that enable cancer cells to breach the nanoporous basement membrane, through matrix degradation and generation of force. However, the impact of covalent cross-linking on invadopodia extension into the BM remains unclear. Here, we examine the impact of covalent cross-linking of extracellular matrix on invasive protrusions using biomaterials that present ligands relevant to the basement membrane and provide a nanoporous, confining microenvironment. We find that increased covalent cross-linking of reconstituted basement membrane (rBM) matrix dimini

SUBMITTER: Wisdom KM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6885090 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature