1
|
Mahajan V, Beck T, Gregorczyk P, Ruland A, Alberti S, Guck J, Werner C, Schlüßler R, Taubenberger AV. Mapping Tumor Spheroid Mechanics in Dependence of 3D Microenvironment Stiffness and Degradability by Brillouin Microscopy. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:5549. [PMID: 34771711 PMCID: PMC8583550 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13215549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2021] [Revised: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 11/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Altered biophysical properties of cancer cells and of their microenvironment contribute to cancer progression. While the relationship between microenvironmental stiffness and cancer cell mechanical properties and responses has been previously studied using two-dimensional (2D) systems, much less is known about it in a physiologically more relevant 3D context and in particular for multicellular systems. To investigate the influence of microenvironment stiffness on tumor spheroid mechanics, we first generated MCF-7 tumor spheroids within matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-degradable 3D polyethylene glycol (PEG)-heparin hydrogels, where spheroids showed reduced growth in stiffer hydrogels. We then quantitatively mapped the mechanical properties of tumor spheroids in situ using Brillouin microscopy. Maps acquired for tumor spheroids grown within stiff hydrogels showed elevated Brillouin frequency shifts (hence increased longitudinal elastic moduli) with increasing hydrogel stiffness. Maps furthermore revealed spatial variations of the mechanical properties across the spheroids' cross-sections. When hydrogel degradability was blocked, comparable Brillouin frequency shifts of the MCF-7 spheroids were found in both compliant and stiff hydrogels, along with similar levels of growth-induced compressive stress. Under low compressive stress, single cells or free multicellular aggregates showed consistently lower Brillouin frequency shifts compared to spheroids growing within hydrogels. Thus, the spheroids' mechanical properties were modulated by matrix stiffness and degradability as well as multicellularity, and also to the associated level of compressive stress felt by tumor spheroids. Spheroids generated from a panel of invasive breast, prostate and pancreatic cancer cell lines within degradable stiff hydrogels, showed higher Brillouin frequency shifts and less cell invasion compared to those in compliant hydrogels. Taken together, our findings contribute to a better understanding of the interplay between cancer cells and microenvironment mechanics and degradability, which is relevant to better understand cancer progression.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vaibhav Mahajan
- Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering (CMCB), BIOTEC, Technische Universitaet Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany; (V.M.); (T.B.); (P.G.); (S.A.); (R.S.)
| | - Timon Beck
- Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering (CMCB), BIOTEC, Technische Universitaet Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany; (V.M.); (T.B.); (P.G.); (S.A.); (R.S.)
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light & Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin, Staudtstr. 2, 91058 Erlangen, Germany;
| | - Paulina Gregorczyk
- Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering (CMCB), BIOTEC, Technische Universitaet Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany; (V.M.); (T.B.); (P.G.); (S.A.); (R.S.)
| | - André Ruland
- Max Bergmann Center, Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden, 01069 Dresden, Germany; (A.R.); (C.W.)
| | - Simon Alberti
- Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering (CMCB), BIOTEC, Technische Universitaet Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany; (V.M.); (T.B.); (P.G.); (S.A.); (R.S.)
| | - Jochen Guck
- Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light & Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin, Staudtstr. 2, 91058 Erlangen, Germany;
| | - Carsten Werner
- Max Bergmann Center, Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research Dresden, 01069 Dresden, Germany; (A.R.); (C.W.)
| | - Raimund Schlüßler
- Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering (CMCB), BIOTEC, Technische Universitaet Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany; (V.M.); (T.B.); (P.G.); (S.A.); (R.S.)
| | - Anna Verena Taubenberger
- Center for Molecular and Cellular Bioengineering (CMCB), BIOTEC, Technische Universitaet Dresden, 01307 Dresden, Germany; (V.M.); (T.B.); (P.G.); (S.A.); (R.S.)
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Chakraborty M, Chu K, Shrestha A, Revelo XS, Zhang X, Gold MJ, Khan S, Lee M, Huang C, Akbari M, Barrow F, Chan YT, Lei H, Kotoulas NK, Jovel J, Pastrello C, Kotlyar M, Goh C, Michelakis E, Clemente-Casares X, Ohashi PS, Engleman EG, Winer S, Jurisica I, Tsai S, Winer DA. Mechanical Stiffness Controls Dendritic Cell Metabolism and Function. Cell Rep 2021; 34:108609. [PMID: 33440149 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2020] [Revised: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Stiffness in the tissue microenvironment changes in most diseases and immunological conditions, but its direct influence on the immune system is poorly understood. Here, we show that static tension impacts immune cell function, maturation, and metabolism. Bone-marrow-derived and/or splenic dendritic cells (DCs) grown in vitro at physiological resting stiffness have reduced proliferation, activation, and cytokine production compared with cells grown under higher stiffness, mimicking fibro-inflammatory disease. Consistently, DCs grown under higher stiffness show increased activation and flux of major glucose metabolic pathways. In DC models of autoimmune diabetes and tumor immunotherapy, tension primes DCs to elicit an adaptive immune response. Mechanistic workup identifies the Hippo-signaling molecule, TAZ, as well as Ca2+-related ion channels, including potentially PIEZO1, as important effectors impacting DC metabolism and function under tension. Tension also directs the phenotypes of monocyte-derived DCs in humans. Thus, mechanical stiffness is a critical environmental cue of DCs and innate immunity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mainak Chakraborty
- Division of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Diabetes Research Group, Toronto General Hospital Research Institute (TGHRI), University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada
| | - Kevin Chu
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
| | - Annie Shrestha
- Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5G 1G6, Canada; Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Xavier S Revelo
- Center for Immunology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA; Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Xiangyue Zhang
- School of Medicine, Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Matthew J Gold
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2M9, Canada
| | - Saad Khan
- Division of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Diabetes Research Group, Toronto General Hospital Research Institute (TGHRI), University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada; Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Megan Lee
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
| | - Camille Huang
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
| | - Masoud Akbari
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
| | - Fanta Barrow
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Yi Tao Chan
- Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Helena Lei
- Division of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Diabetes Research Group, Toronto General Hospital Research Institute (TGHRI), University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada
| | | | - Juan Jovel
- The Applied Genomics Core, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - Chiara Pastrello
- Osteoarthritis Research Program, Division of Orthopedic Surgery, Schroeder Arthritis Institute, University Health Network, and Data Science Discovery Centre for Chronic Diseases, Krembil Research Institute, Toronto, ON M5T 0S8, Canada
| | - Max Kotlyar
- Osteoarthritis Research Program, Division of Orthopedic Surgery, Schroeder Arthritis Institute, University Health Network, and Data Science Discovery Centre for Chronic Diseases, Krembil Research Institute, Toronto, ON M5T 0S8, Canada
| | - Cynthia Goh
- Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Evangelos Michelakis
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
| | - Xavier Clemente-Casares
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada
| | - Pamela S Ohashi
- Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2M9, Canada; Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada
| | - Edgar G Engleman
- School of Medicine, Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA
| | - Shawn Winer
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada; Department of Laboratory Medicine, St. Michael's Hospital, Toronto, ON M5B 1W8, Canada
| | - Igor Jurisica
- Osteoarthritis Research Program, Division of Orthopedic Surgery, Schroeder Arthritis Institute, University Health Network, and Data Science Discovery Centre for Chronic Diseases, Krembil Research Institute, Toronto, ON M5T 0S8, Canada; Departments of Medical Biophysics and Computer Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada; Institute of Neuroimmunology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia
| | - Sue Tsai
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2R3, Canada.
| | - Daniel A Winer
- Division of Cellular and Molecular Biology, Diabetes Research Group, Toronto General Hospital Research Institute (TGHRI), University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 1L7, Canada; Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada; Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1A8, Canada; Department of Pathology, University Health Network, Toronto, ON M5G 2C4, Canada; Buck Institute for Research on Aging, 8001 Redwood Boulevard, Novato, CA 94945, USA.
| |
Collapse
|