Matrix mechanical plasticity regulates cancer cell migration through confining microenvironments

Katrina M. Wisdom, Kolade Adebowale, Julie Chang, Joanna Y. Lee, Sungmin Nam, Rajiv Desai, Ninna Struck Rossen, Marjan Rafat, Robert B. West, Louis Hodgson and Ovijit Chaudhuri ()
Additional contact information
Katrina M. Wisdom: Stanford University
Kolade Adebowale: Stanford University
Julie Chang: Stanford University
Joanna Y. Lee: Stanford University
Sungmin Nam: Stanford University
Rajiv Desai: Harvard University
Ninna Struck Rossen: Stanford University
Marjan Rafat: Stanford University
Robert B. West: Stanford University
Louis Hodgson: Gruss-Lipper Biophotonics Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Ovijit Chaudhuri: Stanford University

Nature Communications, 2018, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: Abstract Studies of cancer cell migration have found two modes: one that is protease-independent, requiring micron-sized pores or channels for cells to squeeze through, and one that is protease-dependent, relevant for confining nanoporous matrices such as basement membranes (BMs). However, many extracellular matrices exhibit viscoelasticity and mechanical plasticity, irreversibly deforming in response to force, so that pore size may be malleable. Here we report the impact of matrix plasticity on migration. We develop nanoporous and BM ligand-presenting interpenetrating network (IPN) hydrogels in which plasticity could be modulated independent of stiffness. Strikingly, cells in high plasticity IPNs carry out protease-independent migration through the IPNs. Mechanistically, cells in high plasticity IPNs extend invadopodia protrusions to mechanically and plastically open up micron-sized channels and then migrate through them. These findings uncover a new mode of protease-independent migration, in which cells can migrate through confining matrix if it exhibits sufficient mechanical plasticity.

Date: 2018
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-06641-z Abstract (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:9:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-018-06641-z

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/ncomms/

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-06641-z

Access Statistics for this article

Nature Communications is currently edited by Nathalie Le Bot, Enda Bergin and Fiona Gillespie

More articles in Nature Communications from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().