Heterogeneous microenvironmental stiffness regulates pro-metastatic functions of breast cancer cells.

ABSTRACT: Besides molecular and phenotypic variations observed in cancer cells, intratumoral heterogeneity also occurs in the tumor microenvironment. Correlative stiffness maps of different intratumor locations in breast tumor biopsies show that stiffness increases from core to periphery. However, how different local ECM stiffness regulates key functions of cancer cells in tumor progression remains unclear. Although increased tissue stiffness is an established driver of breast cancer progression, conclusions from 2D cultures do not correspond with newer data from cancer cells in 3D environments. Many past studies of breast cancer in 3D culture fail to recapitulate the stiffness of a real breast tumor or the various local stiffnesses present in a tumor microenvironment. In this study, we developed a

SUBMITTER: Liu C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8784164 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature