1
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Schunk CT, Wang W, Sabo LN, Taufalele PV, Reinhart-King CA. Matrix stiffness increases energy efficiency of endothelial cells. Matrix Biol 2024; 133:77-85. [PMID: 39147247 DOI: 10.1016/j.matbio.2024.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2024] [Revised: 08/06/2024] [Accepted: 08/13/2024] [Indexed: 08/17/2024]
Abstract
To form blood vessels, endothelial cells rearrange their cytoskeleton, generate traction stresses, migrate, and proliferate, all of which require energy. Despite these energetic costs, stiffening of the extracellular matrix promotes tumor angiogenesis and increases cell contractility. However, the interplay between extracellular matrix, cell contractility, and cellular energetics remains mechanistically unclear. Here, we utilized polyacrylamide substrates with various stiffnesses, a real-time biosensor of ATP, and traction force microscopy to show that endothelial cells exhibit increasing traction forces and energy usage trend as substrate stiffness increases. Inhibition of cytoskeleton reorganization via ROCK inhibition resulted in decreased cellular energy efficiency, and an opposite trend was found when cells were treated with manganese to promote integrin affinity. Altogether, our data reveal a link between matrix stiffness, cell contractility, and cell energetics, suggesting that endothelial cells on stiffer substrates can better convert intracellular energy into cellular traction forces. Given the critical role of cellular metabolism in cell function, our study also suggests that not only energy production but also the efficiency of its use plays a vital role in regulating cell behaviors and may help explain how increased matrix stiffness promotes angiogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Curtis T Schunk
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
| | - Wenjun Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
| | - Lindsey N Sabo
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
| | - Paul V Taufalele
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37235, USA
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2
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Blázquez-Carmona P, Ruiz-Mateos R, Barrasa-Fano J, Shapeti A, Martín-Alfonso JE, Domínguez J, Van Oosterwyck H, Reina-Romo E, Sanz-Herrera JA. Quantitative atlas of collagen hydrogels reveals mesenchymal cancer cell traction adaptation to the matrix nanoarchitecture. Acta Biomater 2024; 185:281-295. [PMID: 38992411 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2024.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2024] [Revised: 07/01/2024] [Accepted: 07/02/2024] [Indexed: 07/13/2024]
Abstract
Collagen-based hydrogels are commonly used in mechanobiology to mimic the extracellular matrix. A quantitative analysis of the influence of collagen concentration and properties on the structure and mechanics of the hydrogels is essential for tailored design adjustments for specific in vitro conditions. We combined focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy and rheology to provide a detailed quantitative atlas of the mechanical and nanoscale three-dimensional structural alterations that occur when manipulating different hydrogel's physicochemistry. Moreover, we study the effects of such alterations on the phenotype of breast cancer cells and their mechanical interactions with the extracellular matrix. Regardless of the microenvironment's pore size, porosity or mechanical properties, cancer cells are able to reach a stable mesenchymal-like morphology. Additionally, employing 3D traction force microscopy, a positive correlation between cellular tractions and ECM mechanics is observed up to a critical threshold, beyond which tractions plateau. This suggests that cancer cells in a stable mesenchymal state calibrate their mechanical interactions with the ECM to keep their migration and invasiveness capacities unaltered. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: The paper presents a thorough study on the mechanical microenvironment in breast cancer cells during their interaction with collagen based hydrogels of different compositions. The hydrogels' microstructure were obtained using state-of-the-art 3D microscopy, namely focused ion beam-scanning electron microscope (FIB-SEM). FIB-SEM was originally applied in this work to reconstruct complex fibered collagen microstructures within the nanometer range, to obtain key microarchitectural parameters. The mechanical microenvironment of cells was recovered using Traction Force Microscopy (TFM). The obtained results suggest that cells calibrate tractions such that they depend on mechanical, microstructural and physicochemical characteristics of the hydrogels, hence revealing a steric hindrance. We hypothesize that cancer cells studied in this paper tune their mechanical state to keep their migration and invasiveness capacities unaltered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Blázquez-Carmona
- Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería, Universidad de Sevilla. Avenida Camino de los Descubrimientos s/n, 41092 Sevilla, Spain; Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (IBIS). C. Antonio Maura Montaner, 41013 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Raquel Ruiz-Mateos
- Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería, Universidad de Sevilla. Avenida Camino de los Descubrimientos s/n, 41092 Sevilla, Spain; Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (IBIS). C. Antonio Maura Montaner, 41013 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Jorge Barrasa-Fano
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Biomechanics Section, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 300. B-3001 Heverlee, Belgium
| | - Apeksha Shapeti
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Biomechanics Section, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 300. B-3001 Heverlee, Belgium
| | - José Enrique Martín-Alfonso
- Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería, Universidad de Huelva. Avda. de las Fuerzas Armadas s/n, 21007 Huelva, Spain
| | - Jaime Domínguez
- Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería, Universidad de Sevilla. Avenida Camino de los Descubrimientos s/n, 41092 Sevilla, Spain; Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (IBIS). C. Antonio Maura Montaner, 41013 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Hans Van Oosterwyck
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Biomechanics Section, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 300. B-3001 Heverlee, Belgium
| | - Esther Reina-Romo
- Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería, Universidad de Sevilla. Avenida Camino de los Descubrimientos s/n, 41092 Sevilla, Spain; Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (IBIS). C. Antonio Maura Montaner, 41013 Sevilla, Spain
| | - José Antonio Sanz-Herrera
- Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería, Universidad de Sevilla. Avenida Camino de los Descubrimientos s/n, 41092 Sevilla, Spain; Instituto de Biomedicina de Sevilla (IBIS). C. Antonio Maura Montaner, 41013 Sevilla, Spain.
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3
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De Corato M, Gomez-Benito MJ. Interplay of chromatin organization and mechanics of the cell nucleus. Biophys J 2024:S0006-3495(24)00525-3. [PMID: 39126157 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2024.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2024] [Revised: 04/29/2024] [Accepted: 08/05/2024] [Indexed: 08/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The nucleus of eukaryotic cells is constantly subjected to different kinds of mechanical stimuli, which can impact the organization of chromatin and, subsequently, the expression of genetic information. Experiments from different groups showed that nuclear deformation can lead to transient or permanent condensation or decondensation of chromatin and the mechanical activation of genes, thus altering the transcription of proteins. Changes in chromatin organization, in turn, change the mechanical properties of the nucleus, possibly leading to an auxetic behavior. Here, we model the mechanics of the nucleus as a chemically active polymer gel in which the chromatin can exist in two states: a self-attractive state representing the heterochromatin and a repulsive state representing euchromatin. The model predicts reversible or irreversible changes in chromatin condensation levels upon external deformations of the nucleus. We find an auxetic response for a broad range of parameters under small and large deformations. These results agree with experimental observations and highlight the key role of chromatin organization in the mechanical response of the nucleus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco De Corato
- Department of Science and Technology of Materials and Fluids, Fluid Dynamics Technology Group (TFD), Aragon Institute of Engineering Research (I3A), University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain.
| | - Maria Jose Gomez-Benito
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Multiscale in Mechanical and Biological Engineering (M2BE), Aragon Institute of Engineering Research (I3A), University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
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4
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Kołodziej T, Mrózek M, Sengottuvel S, Głowacki MJ, Ficek M, Gawlik W, Rajfur Z, Wojciechowski AM. Multimodal analysis of traction forces and the temperature dynamics of living cells with a diamond-embedded substrate. BIOMEDICAL OPTICS EXPRESS 2024; 15:4024-4043. [PMID: 39022544 PMCID: PMC11249686 DOI: 10.1364/boe.524293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2024] [Revised: 04/30/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
Cells and tissues are constantly exposed to chemical and physical signals that regulate physiological and pathological processes. This study explores the integration of two biophysical methods: traction force microscopy (TFM) and optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) to concurrently assess cellular traction forces and the local relative temperature. We present a novel elastic substrate with embedded nitrogen-vacancy microdiamonds that facilitate ODMR-TFM measurements. Optimization efforts focused on minimizing sample illumination and experiment duration to mitigate biological perturbations. Our hybrid ODMR-TFM technique yields TFM maps and achieves approximately 1 K precision in relative temperature measurements. Our setup employs a simple wide-field fluorescence microscope with standard components, demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed technique in life science laboratories. By elucidating the physical aspects of cellular behavior beyond the existing methods, this approach opens avenues for a deeper understanding of cellular processes and may inspire the development of diverse biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz Kołodziej
- Jagiellonian University Medical School, Faculty of Pharmacy, Kraków, Poland
- Jagiellonian University , Faculty of Physics, Astronomy, and Applied Computer Science, Kraków, Poland
| | - Mariusz Mrózek
- Jagiellonian University , Faculty of Physics, Astronomy, and Applied Computer Science, Kraków, Poland
| | - Saravanan Sengottuvel
- Jagiellonian University , Faculty of Physics, Astronomy, and Applied Computer Science, Kraków, Poland
- Jagiellonian University, Doctoral School of Exact and Natural Sciences, Kraków, Poland
| | - Maciej J Głowacki
- Gdansk University of Technology, Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications, and Informatics, Department of Metrology and Optoelectronics, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Mateusz Ficek
- Gdansk University of Technology, Faculty of Electronics, Telecommunications, and Informatics, Department of Metrology and Optoelectronics, Gdańsk, Poland
| | - Wojciech Gawlik
- Jagiellonian University , Faculty of Physics, Astronomy, and Applied Computer Science, Kraków, Poland
| | - Zenon Rajfur
- Jagiellonian University , Faculty of Physics, Astronomy, and Applied Computer Science, Kraków, Poland
| | - Adam M Wojciechowski
- Jagiellonian University , Faculty of Physics, Astronomy, and Applied Computer Science, Kraków, Poland
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5
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Alshehri AM, Wilson OC. Biomimetic Hydrogel Strategies for Cancer Therapy. Gels 2024; 10:437. [PMID: 39057460 PMCID: PMC11275631 DOI: 10.3390/gels10070437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2024] [Revised: 06/18/2024] [Accepted: 06/28/2024] [Indexed: 07/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Recent developments in biomimetic hydrogel research have expanded the scope of biomedical technologies that can be used to model, diagnose, and treat a wide range of medical conditions. Cancer presents one of the most intractable challenges in this arena due to the surreptitious mechanisms that it employs to evade detection and treatment. In order to address these challenges, biomimetic design principles can be adapted to beat cancer at its own game. Biomimetic design strategies are inspired by natural biological systems and offer promising opportunities for developing life-changing methods to model, detect, diagnose, treat, and cure various types of static and metastatic cancers. In particular, focusing on the cellular and subcellular phenomena that serve as fundamental drivers for the peculiar behavioral traits of cancer can provide rich insights into eradicating cancer in all of its manifestations. This review highlights promising developments in biomimetic nanocomposite hydrogels that contribute to cancer therapies via enhanced drug delivery strategies and modeling cancer mechanobiology phenomena in relation to metastasis and synergistic sensing systems. Creative efforts to amplify biomimetic design research to advance the development of more effective cancer therapies will be discussed in alignment with international collaborative goals to cure cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Awatef M. Alshehri
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC 20064, USA
- Department of Nanomedicine, King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC), King Saud bin Abdelaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS), Ministry of National Guard-Health Affairs (MNGHA), Riyadh 11426, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Otto C. Wilson
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC 20064, USA
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6
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Micalet A, Upadhyay A, Javanmardi Y, de Brito CG, Moeendarbary E, Cheema U. Patient-specific colorectal-cancer-associated fibroblasts modulate tumor microenvironment mechanics. iScience 2024; 27:110060. [PMID: 38883829 PMCID: PMC11179580 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play a major role in reorganizing the physical tumor micro-environment and changing tissue stiffness. Herein, using an engineered three-dimensional (3D) model that mimics the tumor's native biomechanical environment, we characterized the changes in matrix stiffness caused by six patient-specific colorectal CAF populations. After 21 days of culture, atomic force microscopy (AFM) was performed to precisely measure the local changes in tissue stiffness. Each CAF population exhibited heterogeneity in remodeling capabilities, with some patient-derived cells stiffening the matrix and others softening it. Tissue stiffening was mainly attributed to active contraction of the matrix by the cells, whereas the softening was due to enzymatic activity of matrix-cleaving proteins. This measured heterogeneity was lost when the CAFs were cocultured with colorectal cancer cells, as all samples significantly soften the tissue. The interplay between cancer cells and CAFs was critical as it altered any heterogeneity exhibited by CAFs alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Auxtine Micalet
- UCL Centre for 3D Models of Health and Disease, Department of Targeted Intervention, Division of Surgery and Interventional Science, University College London, Charles Bell House, 43-45 Foley Street, London W1W 7TS, UK
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Anuja Upadhyay
- UCL Centre for 3D Models of Health and Disease, Department of Targeted Intervention, Division of Surgery and Interventional Science, University College London, Charles Bell House, 43-45 Foley Street, London W1W 7TS, UK
| | - Yousef Javanmardi
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | | | - Emad Moeendarbary
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
- 199 Biotechnologies Ltd, Gloucester Road, London W2 6LD, UK
| | - Umber Cheema
- UCL Centre for 3D Models of Health and Disease, Department of Targeted Intervention, Division of Surgery and Interventional Science, University College London, Charles Bell House, 43-45 Foley Street, London W1W 7TS, UK
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7
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Vela-Alcántara AM, Santiago-García J, Barragán-Palacios M, León-Chacón A, Domínguez-Pantoja M, Barceinas-Dávila I, Juárez-Aguilar E, Tamariz E. Differential modulation of cell morphology, migration, and Neuropilin-1 expression in cancer and non-cancer cell lines by substrate stiffness. Front Cell Dev Biol 2024; 12:1352233. [PMID: 38903533 PMCID: PMC11188430 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2024.1352233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Physical changes in the tumor microenvironment, such as increased stiffness, regulate cancer hallmarks and play an essential role in gene expression, cell morphology, migration, and malignancy. However, the response of cancer cells to stiffness is not homogeneous and varies depending on the cell type and its mechanosensitivity. In this study, we investigated the differential responses of cervical (HeLa) and prostate (PC-3) cancer cell lines, as well as non-tumoral cell lines (HEK293 and HPrEC), to stiffness using polyacrylamide hydrogels mimicking normal and tumoral tissues. We analyzed cell morphology, migration, and the expression of neuropilin 1 (NRP1), a receptor involved in angiogenesis, cell migration, and extracellular matrix remodeling, known to be associated with cancer progression and poor prognosis. Our findings reveal that NRP1 expression increases on substrates mimicking the high stiffness characteristic of tumoral tissue in the non-tumoral cell lines HPrEC and HEK293. Conversely, in tumoral PC-3 cells, stiffness resembling normal prostate tissue induces an earlier and more sustained expression of NRP1. Furthermore, we observed that stiffness influences cell spreading, pseudopodia formation, and the mode of cell protrusion during migration. Soft substrates predominantly trigger bleb cell protrusion, while pseudopodia protrusions increase on substrates mimicking normal and tumor-like stiffnesses in HPrEC cells compared to PC-3 cells. Stiffer substrates also enhance the percentage of migratory cells, as well as their velocity and total displacement, in both non-tumoral and tumoral prostate cells. However, they only improve the persistence of migration in tumoral PC-3 cells. Moreover, we found that NRP1 co-localizes with actin, and its suppression impairs tumoral PC-3 spreading while decreasing pseudopodia protrusion mode. Our results suggest that the modulation of NRP1 expression by the stiffness can be a feedback loop to promote malignancy in non-tumoral and cancer cells, contingent upon the mechanosensitivity of the cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Monserrat Vela-Alcántara
- Programa de Doctorado en Ciencias de la Salud, Instituto de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico
- Laboratorio de Cultivo Celular, Departamento de Biomedicina, Instituto de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico
| | - Juan Santiago-García
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico
| | - Madeleine Barragán-Palacios
- Laboratorio de Cultivo Celular, Departamento de Biomedicina, Instituto de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico
- Programa de Maestría en Ciencias de la Salud, Instituto de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico
| | - Aylin León-Chacón
- Laboratorio de Cultivo Celular, Departamento de Biomedicina, Instituto de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico
| | | | - Irene Barceinas-Dávila
- Laboratorio de Cultivo Celular, Departamento de Biomedicina, Instituto de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico
- Programa de Maestría en Ciencias de la Salud, Instituto de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico
| | - Enrique Juárez-Aguilar
- Laboratorio de Cultivo Celular, Departamento de Biomedicina, Instituto de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico
| | - Elisa Tamariz
- Laboratorio de Cultivo Celular, Departamento de Biomedicina, Instituto de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico
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8
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Boufaied N, Chetta P, Hallal T, Cacciatore S, Lalli D, Luthold C, Homsy K, Imada EL, Syamala S, Photopoulos C, Di Matteo A, de Polo A, Storaci AM, Huang Y, Giunchi F, Sheridan PA, Michelotti G, Nguyen QD, Zhao X, Liu Y, Davicioni E, Spratt DE, Sabbioneda S, Maga G, Mucci LA, Ghigna C, Marchionni L, Butler LM, Ellis L, Bordeleau F, Loda M, Vaira V, Labbé DP, Zadra G. Obesogenic High-Fat Diet and MYC Cooperate to Promote Lactate Accumulation and Tumor Microenvironment Remodeling in Prostate Cancer. Cancer Res 2024; 84:1834-1855. [PMID: 38831751 PMCID: PMC11148549 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-23-0519] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2023] [Revised: 12/29/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
Cancer cells exhibit metabolic plasticity to meet oncogene-driven dependencies while coping with nutrient availability. A better understanding of how systemic metabolism impacts the accumulation of metabolites that reprogram the tumor microenvironment (TME) and drive cancer could facilitate development of precision nutrition approaches. Using the Hi-MYC prostate cancer mouse model, we demonstrated that an obesogenic high-fat diet (HFD) rich in saturated fats accelerates the development of c-MYC-driven invasive prostate cancer through metabolic rewiring. Although c-MYC modulated key metabolic pathways, interaction with an obesogenic HFD was necessary to induce glycolysis and lactate accumulation in tumors. These metabolic changes were associated with augmented infiltration of CD206+ and PD-L1+ tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) and FOXP3+ regulatory T cells, as well as with the activation of transcriptional programs linked to disease progression and therapy resistance. Lactate itself also stimulated neoangiogenesis and prostate cancer cell migration, which were significantly reduced following treatment with the lactate dehydrogenase inhibitor FX11. In patients with prostate cancer, high saturated fat intake and increased body mass index were associated with tumor glycolytic features that promote the infiltration of M2-like TAMs. Finally, upregulation of lactate dehydrogenase, indicative of a lactagenic phenotype, was associated with a shorter time to biochemical recurrence in independent clinical cohorts. This work identifies cooperation between genetic drivers and systemic metabolism to hijack the TME and promote prostate cancer progression through oncometabolite accumulation. This sets the stage for the assessment of lactate as a prognostic biomarker and supports strategies of dietary intervention and direct lactagenesis blockade in treating advanced prostate cancer. SIGNIFICANCE Lactate accumulation driven by high-fat diet and MYC reprograms the tumor microenvironment and promotes prostate cancer progression, supporting the potential of lactate as a biomarker and therapeutic target in prostate cancer. See related commentary by Frigo, p. 1742.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia Boufaied
- Cancer Research Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Paolo Chetta
- University of Milan, Residency Program in Pathology, Milan, Italy
- Department of Pathology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Tarek Hallal
- Cancer Research Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Stefano Cacciatore
- Bionformatics Unit, International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB), Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Daniela Lalli
- Department of Science and Technological Innovation, University of Piemonte Orientale “A. Avogadro,” Alessandria, Italy
| | - Carole Luthold
- CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Center (Oncology Division) and Cancer Research Center, Centre de Recherche en Organogénèse Expérimentale/LOEX, Université Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Kevin Homsy
- CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Center (Oncology Division) and Cancer Research Center, Centre de Recherche en Organogénèse Expérimentale/LOEX, Université Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Eddie L. Imada
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Campus, New York, New York
| | - Sudeepa Syamala
- Department of Oncologic Pathology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Cornelia Photopoulos
- Department of Oncologic Pathology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Anna Di Matteo
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, National Research Council (CNR-IGM), Pavia, Italy
| | - Anna de Polo
- Cancer Research Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | | | - Ying Huang
- Department of Oncologic Pathology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Francesca Giunchi
- Pathology Unit, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | | | | | - Quang-De Nguyen
- Department of Imaging, Lurie Family Imaging Center, Center for Biomedical Imaging in Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Xin Zhao
- Veracyte, South San Francisco, California
| | - Yang Liu
- Veracyte, South San Francisco, California
| | | | - Daniel E. Spratt
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Simone Sabbioneda
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, National Research Council (CNR-IGM), Pavia, Italy
| | - Giovanni Maga
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, National Research Council (CNR-IGM), Pavia, Italy
| | - Lorelei A. Mucci
- Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Claudia Ghigna
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, National Research Council (CNR-IGM), Pavia, Italy
| | - Luigi Marchionni
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Campus, New York, New York
| | - Lisa M. Butler
- South Australian Immunogenomics Cancer Institute and Freemasons Centre for Male Health and Wellbeing, University of Adelaide, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, Australia
| | - Leigh Ellis
- Department of Surgery, Center for Prostate Disease Research, Murtha Cancer Center Research Program, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center; The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., Bethesda, Maryland
| | - François Bordeleau
- CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Center (Oncology Division) and Cancer Research Center, Centre de Recherche en Organogénèse Expérimentale/LOEX, Université Laval, Québec, Canada
- Department of Molecular Biology, Clinical Biochemistry, and Pathology, Laval University, Québec, Canada
| | - Massimo Loda
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Campus, New York, New York
| | - Valentina Vaira
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Division of Pathology, Fondazione IRCCS Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan, Italy
| | - David P. Labbé
- Cancer Research Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
- Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada
| | - Giorgia Zadra
- Department of Oncologic Pathology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, National Research Council (CNR-IGM), Pavia, Italy
- Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts
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9
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Liew HY, Liew XH, Lin WX, Lee YZ, Ong YS, Ogawa S, Chong LH. Cellular Traction Force Holds the Potential as a Drug Testing Readout for In Vitro Cancer Metastasis. Cell Mol Bioeng 2024; 17:203-217. [PMID: 39050509 PMCID: PMC11263313 DOI: 10.1007/s12195-024-00811-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2024] [Indexed: 07/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Metastasis is responsible for 90% of cancer-related deaths worldwide. However, the potential inhibitory effects of metastasis by various anticancer drugs have been left largely unexplored. Existing preclinical models primarily focus on antiproliferative agents on the primary tumor to halt the cancer growth but not in metastasis. Unlike primary tumors, metastasis requires cancer cells to exert sufficient cellular traction force through the actomyosin machinery to migrate away from the primary tumor site. Therefore, we seek to explore the potential of cellular traction force as a novel readout for screening drugs that target cancer metastasis. Methods In vitro models of invasive and non-invasive breast cancer were first established using MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cell lines, respectively. Cellular morphology was characterized, revealing spindle-like morphology in MDA-MB-231 and spherical morphology in MCF-7 cells. The baseline cellular traction force was quantified using the Traction force Microscopy technique. Cisplatin, a paradigm antimetastatic drug, and 5-Fluorouracil (5FU), a non-antimetastatic drug, were selected to evaluate the potential of cellular traction force as a drug testing readout for the in vitro cancer metastasis. Results MDA-MB-231 cells exhibited significantly higher baseline cellular traction force compared to MCF-7 cells. Treatment with Cisplatin, an antimetastatic drug, and 5-Fluorouracil (5FU), a non-antimetastatic drug, demonstrated distinct effects on cellular traction force in MDA-MB-231 but not in MCF-7 cells. These findings correlate with the invasive potential observed in the two models. Conclusion Cellular traction force emerges as a promising metric for evaluating drug efficacy in inhibiting cancer metastasis using in vitro models. This approach could enhance the screening and development of novel anti-metastatic therapies, addressing a critical gap in current anticancer drug research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Yan Liew
- School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, 47500 Subang Jaya, Malaysia
| | - Xiao Hui Liew
- School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, 47500 Subang Jaya, Malaysia
| | - Wei Xuan Lin
- School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, 47500 Subang Jaya, Malaysia
| | - Yee Zhen Lee
- School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, 47500 Subang Jaya, Malaysia
| | - Yong Sze Ong
- School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, 47500 Subang Jaya, Malaysia
| | - Satoshi Ogawa
- Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, 47500 Subang Jaya, Malaysia
| | - Lor Huai Chong
- School of Pharmacy, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, 47500 Subang Jaya, Malaysia
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10
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Denisin AK, Kim H, Riedel-Kruse IH, Pruitt BL. Field Guide to Traction Force Microscopy. Cell Mol Bioeng 2024; 17:87-106. [PMID: 38737454 PMCID: PMC11082129 DOI: 10.1007/s12195-024-00801-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Traction force microscopy (TFM) is a widely used technique to measure cell contractility on compliant substrates that mimic the stiffness of human tissues. For every step in a TFM workflow, users make choices which impact the quantitative results, yet many times the rationales and consequences for making these decisions are unclear. We have found few papers which show the complete experimental and mathematical steps of TFM, thus obfuscating the full effects of these decisions on the final output. Methods Therefore, we present this "Field Guide" with the goal to explain the mathematical basis of common TFM methods to practitioners in an accessible way. We specifically focus on how errors propagate in TFM workflows given specific experimental design and analytical choices. Results We cover important assumptions and considerations in TFM substrate manufacturing, substrate mechanical properties, imaging techniques, image processing methods, approaches and parameters used in calculating traction stress, and data-reporting strategies. Conclusions By presenting a conceptual review and analysis of TFM-focused research articles published over the last two decades, we provide researchers in the field with a better understanding of their options to make more informed choices when creating TFM workflows depending on the type of cell being studied. With this review, we aim to empower experimentalists to quantify cell contractility with confidence. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12195-024-00801-6.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Honesty Kim
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 USA
- Present Address: The Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158 USA
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, and (by courtesy) Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Applied Mathematics, and Physics, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 USA
| | - Ingmar H. Riedel-Kruse
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, and (by courtesy) Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Applied Mathematics, and Physics, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 USA
| | - Beth L. Pruitt
- Departments of Bioengineering and Mechanical Engineering, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 USA
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11
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Amoabediny Z, Mittal A, Guin S, Buffone A. Let's Get Rolling: Precise Control of Microfluidic Assay Conditions to Recapitulate Selectin-Mediated Rolling Interactions of the Leukocyte Adhesion Cascade. Curr Protoc 2024; 4:e1022. [PMID: 38578028 PMCID: PMC11003720 DOI: 10.1002/cpz1.1022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
The leukocyte adhesion cascade governs the recruitment of circulating immune cells from the vasculature to distal sites. The initial adhesive interactions between cell surface ligands displaying sialyl-LewisX (sLeX) and endothelial E- and P-selectins serve to slow the cells down enough to interact more closely with the surface, polarize, and exit into the tissues. Therefore, precise microfluidic assays are critical in modeling how well immune cells can interact and "roll" on selectins to slow down enough to complete further steps of the cascade. Here, we present a systematic protocol for selectin mediated rolling on recombinant surfaces and endothelial cell monolayers on polyacrylamide gels of varying stiffness. We also describe step-by-step the protocol for setting up and performing the experiment and how to analyze and present the data collected. This protocol serves to simplify and detail the procedure needed to investigate the initial selectin-mediated interactions of immune cells with the vasculature. © 2024 The Authors. Current Protocols published by Wiley Periodicals LLC. Basic Protocol 1: Preparing dishes for cell rolling experiments Basic Protocol 2: Fabrication of polyacrylamide gels for cell rolling experiments Alternate Protocol 1: Protein conjugation with N6 linker Alternate Protocol 2: HUVEC culturing for monolayers Basic Protocol 3: Conducting cell rolling experiments on polyacrylamide gels Basic Protocol 4: ImageJ analysis of cell rolling movies Basic Protocol 5: Quantification of Fc site density on a surface (e.g., for Fc chimeras).
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeinab Amoabediny
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07103
| | - Aman Mittal
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07103
| | - Subham Guin
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07103
| | - Alexander Buffone
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07103
- Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07103
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12
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Mirzakhel Z, Reddy GA, Boman J, Manns B, Veer ST, Katira P. "Patchiness" in mechanical stiffness across a tumor as an early-stage marker for malignancy. BMC Ecol Evol 2024; 24:33. [PMID: 38486161 PMCID: PMC10938681 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-024-02221-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Mechanical phenotyping of tumors, either at an individual cell level or tumor cell population level is gaining traction as a diagnostic tool. However, the extent of diagnostic and prognostic information that can be gained through these measurements is still unclear. In this work, we focus on the heterogeneity in mechanical properties of cells obtained from a single source such as a tissue or tumor as a potential novel biomarker. We believe that this heterogeneity is a conventionally overlooked source of information in mechanical phenotyping data. We use mechanics-based in-silico models of cell-cell interactions and cell population dynamics within 3D environments to probe how heterogeneity in cell mechanics drives tissue and tumor dynamics. Our simulations show that the initial heterogeneity in the mechanical properties of individual cells and the arrangement of these heterogenous sub-populations within the environment can dictate overall cell population dynamics and cause a shift towards the growth of malignant cell phenotypes within healthy tissue environments. The overall heterogeneity in the cellular mechanotype and their spatial distributions is quantified by a "patchiness" index, which is the ratio of the global to local heterogeneity in cell populations. We observe that there exists a threshold value of the patchiness index beyond which an overall healthy population of cells will show a steady shift towards a more malignant phenotype. Based on these results, we propose that the "patchiness" of a tumor or tissue sample, can be an early indicator for malignant transformation and cancer occurrence in benign tumors or healthy tissues. Additionally, we suggest that tissue patchiness, measured either by biochemical or biophysical markers, can become an important metric in predicting tissue health and disease likelihood just as landscape patchiness is an important metric in ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zibah Mirzakhel
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Gudur Ashrith Reddy
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Jennifer Boman
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Brianna Manns
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Savannah Ter Veer
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Parag Katira
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA.
- Computational Science Research Center, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA.
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13
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Cambria E, Coughlin MF, Floryan MA, Offeddu GS, Shelton SE, Kamm RD. Linking cell mechanical memory and cancer metastasis. Nat Rev Cancer 2024; 24:216-228. [PMID: 38238471 PMCID: PMC11146605 DOI: 10.1038/s41568-023-00656-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2024]
Abstract
Metastasis causes most cancer-related deaths; however, the efficacy of anti-metastatic drugs is limited by incomplete understanding of the biological mechanisms that drive metastasis. Focusing on the mechanics of metastasis, we propose that the ability of tumour cells to survive the metastatic process is enhanced by mechanical stresses in the primary tumour microenvironment that select for well-adapted cells. In this Perspective, we suggest that biophysical adaptations favourable for metastasis are retained via mechanical memory, such that the extent of memory is influenced by both the magnitude and duration of the mechanical stress. Among the mechanical cues present in the primary tumour microenvironment, we focus on high matrix stiffness to illustrate how it alters tumour cell proliferation, survival, secretion of molecular factors, force generation, deformability, migration and invasion. We particularly centre our discussion on potential mechanisms of mechanical memory formation and retention via mechanotransduction and persistent epigenetic changes. Indeed, we propose that the biophysical adaptations that are induced by this process are retained throughout the metastatic process to improve tumour cell extravasation, survival and colonization in the distant organ. Deciphering mechanical memory mechanisms will be key to discovering a new class of anti-metastatic drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Cambria
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
| | - Mark F Coughlin
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Marie A Floryan
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Giovanni S Offeddu
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Sarah E Shelton
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Roger D Kamm
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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14
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Xie X, Sauer F, Grosser S, Lippoldt J, Warmt E, Das A, Bi D, Fuhs T, Käs JA. Effect of non-linear strain stiffening in eDAH and unjamming. SOFT MATTER 2024; 20:1996-2007. [PMID: 38323652 PMCID: PMC10900305 DOI: 10.1039/d3sm00630a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 01/02/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024]
Abstract
In cell clusters, the prominent factors at play encompass contractility-based enhanced tissue surface tension and cell unjamming transition. The former effect pertains to the boundary effect, while the latter constitutes a bulk effect. Both effects share outcomes of inducing significant elongation in cells. This elongation is so substantial that it surpasses the limits of linear elasticity, thereby giving rise to additional effects. To investigate these effects, we employ atomic force microscopy (AFM) to analyze how the mechanical properties of individual cells change under such considerable elongation. Our selection of cell lines includes MCF-10A, chosen for its pronounced demonstration of the extended differential adhesion hypothesis (eDAH), and MDA-MB-436, selected due to its manifestation of cell unjamming behavior. In the AFM analyses, we observe a common trend in both cases: as elongation increases, both cell lines exhibit strain stiffening. Notably, this effect is more prominent in MCF-10A compared to MDA-MB-436. Subsequently, we employ AFM on a dynamic range of 1-200 Hz to probe the mechanical characteristics of cell spheroids, focusing on both surface and bulk mechanics. Our findings align with the results from single cell investigations. Specifically, MCF-10A cells, characterized by strong contractile tissue tension, exhibit the greatest stiffness on their surface. Conversely, MDA-MB-436 cells, which experience significant elongation, showcase their highest stiffness within the bulk region. Consequently, the concept of single cell strain stiffening emerges as a crucial element in understanding the mechanics of multicellular spheroids (MCSs), even in the case of MDA-MB-436 cells, which are comparatively softer in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaofan Xie
- Soft Matter Physics Division, Peter Debye Institute for Soft Matter Physics, University of Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Frank Sauer
- Soft Matter Physics Division, Peter Debye Institute for Soft Matter Physics, University of Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Steffen Grosser
- Soft Matter Physics Division, Peter Debye Institute for Soft Matter Physics, University of Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Jürgen Lippoldt
- Soft Matter Physics Division, Peter Debye Institute for Soft Matter Physics, University of Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Enrico Warmt
- Soft Matter Physics Division, Peter Debye Institute for Soft Matter Physics, University of Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Amit Das
- Department of Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Dapeng Bi
- Department of Physics, Northeastern University, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Thomas Fuhs
- Soft Matter Physics Division, Peter Debye Institute for Soft Matter Physics, University of Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Josef A Käs
- Soft Matter Physics Division, Peter Debye Institute for Soft Matter Physics, University of Leipzig, Germany.
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15
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Velusamy A, Sharma R, Rashid SA, Ogasawara H, Salaita K. DNA mechanocapsules for programmable piconewton responsive drug delivery. Nat Commun 2024; 15:704. [PMID: 38267454 PMCID: PMC10808132 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-44061-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/26/2024] Open
Abstract
The mechanical dysregulation of cells is associated with a number of disease states, that spans from fibrosis to tumorigenesis. Hence, it is highly desirable to develop strategies to deliver drugs based on the "mechanical phenotype" of a cell. To achieve this goal, we report the development of DNA mechanocapsules (DMC) comprised of DNA tetrahedrons that are force responsive. Modeling shows the trajectory of force-induced DMC rupture and predicts how applied force spatial position and orientation tunes the force-response threshold. DMCs functionalized with adhesion ligands mechanically denature in vitro as a result of cell receptor forces. DMCs are designed to encapsulate macromolecular cargos such as dextran and oligonucleotide drugs with minimal cargo leakage and high nuclease resistance. Force-induced release and uptake of DMC cargo is validated using flow cytometry. Finally, we demonstrate force-induced mRNA knockdown of HIF-1α in a manner that is dependent on the magnitude of cellular traction forces. These results show that DMCs can be effectively used to target biophysical phenotypes which may find useful applications in immunology and cancer biology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Radhika Sharma
- Department of Chemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | | | | | - Khalid Salaita
- Department of Chemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
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16
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Agrawal A, Lasli S, Javanmardi Y, Coursier D, Micalet A, Watson S, Shahreza S, Serwinski B, Djordjevic B, Szita N, Cheema U, Bertazzo S, Calvo F, Moeendarbary E. Stromal cells regulate mechanics of tumour spheroid. Mater Today Bio 2023; 23:100821. [PMID: 37868949 PMCID: PMC10585335 DOI: 10.1016/j.mtbio.2023.100821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/24/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023] Open
Abstract
The remarkable contractility and force generation ability exhibited by cancer cells empower them to overcome the resistance and steric hindrance presented by a three-dimensional, interconnected matrix. Cancer cells disseminate by actively remodelling and deforming their extracellular matrix (ECM). The process of tumour growth and its ECM remodelling have been extensively studied, but the effect of the cellular tumour microenvironment (TME) has been ignored in most studies that investigated tumour-cell-mediated ECM deformations and realignment. This study reports the integration of stromal cells in spheroid contractility assays that impacts the ECM remodelling and invasion abilities of cancer spheroids. To investigate this, we developed a novel multilayer in vitro assay that incorporates stromal cells and quantifies the contractile deformations that tumour spheroids exert on the ECM. We observed a negative correlation between the spheroid invasion potential and the levels of collagen deformation. The presence of stromal cells significantly increased cancer cell invasiveness and altered the cancer cells' ability to deform and realign collagen gel, due to upregulation of proinflammatory cytokines. Interestingly, this was observed consistently in both metastatic and non-metastatic cancer cells. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the vital role played by the cellular TME in regulating the invasive outgrowth of cancer cells and underscore the potential of utilising matrix deformation measurements as a biophysical marker for evaluating invasiveness and informing targeted therapeutic opportunities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ayushi Agrawal
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London, WC1E 7JE, UK
| | - Soufian Lasli
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London, WC1E 7JE, UK
| | - Yousef Javanmardi
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London, WC1E 7JE, UK
| | - Diane Coursier
- 199 Biotechnologies Ltd, Gloucester Road, London, W2 6LD, UK
| | - Auxtine Micalet
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London, WC1E 7JE, UK
- Department of Targeted Intervention, Division of Surgery and Interventional Science, University College London, London WC1E 7JE, UK
| | - Sara Watson
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London, WC1E 7JE, UK
| | - Somayeh Shahreza
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London, WC1E 7JE, UK
| | - Bianca Serwinski
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London, WC1E 7JE, UK
- 199 Biotechnologies Ltd, Gloucester Road, London, W2 6LD, UK
- Faculty of Social Sciences, Northeastern University London, London, E1W 1LP, UK
| | - Boris Djordjevic
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London, WC1E 7JE, UK
- 199 Biotechnologies Ltd, Gloucester Road, London, W2 6LD, UK
| | - Nicolas Szita
- Department of Biochemical Engineering, University College London, London WC1E 7JE, UK
| | - Umber Cheema
- Department of Targeted Intervention, Division of Surgery and Interventional Science, University College London, London WC1E 7JE, UK
| | - Sergio Bertazzo
- Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Fernando Calvo
- Instituto de Biomedicina y Biotecnología de Cantabria (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Universidad de Cantabria), Santander, Spain
| | - Emad Moeendarbary
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London, WC1E 7JE, UK
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
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17
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Tulchinsky M, Weihs D. Mechanobiological cell adaptations to changing microenvironments determine cancer invasiveness: Experimentally validated finite element modeling. J Biomed Mater Res A 2023; 111:1951-1959. [PMID: 37606496 DOI: 10.1002/jbm.a.37597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 07/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023]
Abstract
Metastases are the leading cause of cancer-associated deaths. A key process in metastasis is cell invasiveness, which is driven and controlled by cancer cell interactions with their microenvironment. We have previously shown that invasive cancer cells forcefully push into and indent physiological stiffness gels to cell-scale depths, where the percentage of indenting cells and their attained depths provide clinically relevant predictions of tumor invasiveness and the potential metastatic risk. The cell-attained, invasive indentation depths are directly affected by gel-microenvironment mechanics, which can concurrently modulate the cells' mechanics and force application capacity, in a complex, coordinated mechanobiological response. As it is impossible to experimentally isolate the different contributions of cell and gel mechanics to cancer cell invasiveness, we perform finite element modeling with literature-based parameters. Under average-scale, cell cytoplasm and nucleus mechanics and cell-applied force levels, increasing gel stiffness 1-50 kPa significantly reduced the attained indentation depth by >200%, while the gel's Poisson ratio reduced depths only by up to 20% and only when the ratio was >0.4; this reveals microenvironment mechanics that can promote invasiveness. Experiments with varying-invasiveness cancer cells exhibited qualitative variations in their responses to gel stiffness increase, for example large/small reduction in indentation depth or increase and then reduction. We quantitatively and qualitatively reproduced the different experimental responses via coordinated changes in cell mechanics and applied force levels. Thus, the different cancer cell capacities to adapt their mechanobiology in response to mechanically changing microenvironments likely determine the varying cancer invasiveness and metastatic risk levels in patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Tulchinsky
- Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Daphne Weihs
- Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
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18
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Xin Y, Li K, Huang M, Liang C, Siemann D, Wu L, Tan Y, Tang X. Biophysics in tumor growth and progression: from single mechano-sensitive molecules to mechanomedicine. Oncogene 2023; 42:3457-3490. [PMID: 37864030 PMCID: PMC10656290 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-023-02844-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Revised: 09/08/2023] [Accepted: 09/15/2023] [Indexed: 10/22/2023]
Abstract
Evidence from physical sciences in oncology increasingly suggests that the interplay between the biophysical tumor microenvironment and genetic regulation has significant impact on tumor progression. Especially, tumor cells and the associated stromal cells not only alter their own cytoskeleton and physical properties but also remodel the microenvironment with anomalous physical properties. Together, these altered mechano-omics of tumor tissues and their constituents fundamentally shift the mechanotransduction paradigms in tumorous and stromal cells and activate oncogenic signaling within the neoplastic niche to facilitate tumor progression. However, current findings on tumor biophysics are limited, scattered, and often contradictory in multiple contexts. Systematic understanding of how biophysical cues influence tumor pathophysiology is still lacking. This review discusses recent different schools of findings in tumor biophysics that have arisen from multi-scale mechanobiology and the cutting-edge technologies. These findings range from the molecular and cellular to the whole tissue level and feature functional crosstalk between mechanotransduction and oncogenic signaling. We highlight the potential of these anomalous physical alterations as new therapeutic targets for cancer mechanomedicine. This framework reconciles opposing opinions in the field, proposes new directions for future cancer research, and conceptualizes novel mechanomedicine landscape to overcome the inherent shortcomings of conventional cancer diagnosis and therapies.
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Grants
- R35 GM150812 NIGMS NIH HHS
- This work was financially supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Project no. 11972316, Y.T.), Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission (Project no. JCYJ20200109142001798, SGDX2020110309520303, and JCYJ20220531091002006, Y.T.), General Research Fund of Hong Kong Research Grant Council (PolyU 15214320, Y. T.), Health and Medical Research Fund (HMRF18191421, Y.T.), Hong Kong Polytechnic University (1-CD75, 1-ZE2M, and 1-ZVY1, Y.T.), the Cancer Pilot Research Award from UF Health Cancer Center (X. T.), the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under award number R35GM150812 (X. T.), the National Science Foundation under grant number 2308574 (X. T.), the Air Force Office of Scientific Research under award number FA9550-23-1-0393 (X. T.), the University Scholar Program (X. T.), UF Research Opportunity Seed Fund (X. T.), the Gatorade Award (X. T.), and the National Science Foundation REU Site at UF: Engineering for Healthcare (Douglas Spearot and Malisa Sarntinoranont). We are deeply grateful for the insightful discussions with and generous support from all members of Tang (UF)’s and Tan (PolyU)’s laboratories and all staff members of the MAE/BME/ECE/Health Cancer Center at UF and BME at PolyU.
- National Natural Science Foundation of China (National Science Foundation of China)
- Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Xin
- The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen, China
| | - Keming Li
- The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen, China
| | - Miao Huang
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Chenyu Liang
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Dietmar Siemann
- UF Health Cancer Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Lizi Wu
- UF Health Cancer Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Youhua Tan
- The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Shenzhen Research Institute, Shenzhen, China.
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China.
- Research Institute of Smart Ageing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China.
| | - Xin Tang
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
- UF Health Cancer Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
- J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
- Department of Physiology and Functional Genomics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA.
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19
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Chen MB, Javanmardi Y, Shahreza S, Serwinski B, Aref A, Djordjevic B, Moeendarbary E. Mechanobiology in oncology: basic concepts and clinical prospects. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1239749. [PMID: 38020912 PMCID: PMC10644154 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1239749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The interplay between genetic transformations, biochemical communications, and physical interactions is crucial in cancer progression. Metastasis, a leading cause of cancer-related deaths, involves a series of steps, including invasion, intravasation, circulation survival, and extravasation. Mechanical alterations, such as changes in stiffness and morphology, play a significant role in all stages of cancer initiation and dissemination. Accordingly, a better understanding of cancer mechanobiology can help in the development of novel therapeutic strategies. Targeting the physical properties of tumours and their microenvironment presents opportunities for intervention. Advancements in imaging techniques and lab-on-a-chip systems enable personalized investigations of tumor biomechanics and drug screening. Investigation of the interplay between genetic, biochemical, and mechanical factors, which is of crucial importance in cancer progression, offers insights for personalized medicine and innovative treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle B. Chen
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
| | - Yousef Javanmardi
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Somayeh Shahreza
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Bianca Serwinski
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- 199 Biotechnologies Ltd., London, United Kingdom
- Northeastern University London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Amir Aref
- Belfer Center for Applied Cancer Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Boris Djordjevic
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- 199 Biotechnologies Ltd., London, United Kingdom
| | - Emad Moeendarbary
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, United States
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London, United Kingdom
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20
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Woodcock E, Gorelkin PV, Goff PS, Edwards CRW, Zhang Y, Korchev Y, Sviderskaya EV. Measuring Melanoma Nanomechanical Properties in Relation to Metastatic Ability and Anti-Cancer Drug Treatment Using Scanning Ion Conductance Microscopy. Cells 2023; 12:2401. [PMID: 37830615 PMCID: PMC10571876 DOI: 10.3390/cells12192401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023] Open
Abstract
A cell's mechanical properties have been linked to cancer development, motility and metastasis and are therefore an attractive target as a universal, reliable cancer marker. For example, it has been widely published that cancer cells show a lower Young's modulus than their non-cancerous counterparts. Furthermore, the effect of anti-cancer drugs on cellular mechanics may offer a new insight into secondary mechanisms of action and drug efficiency. Scanning ion conductance microscopy (SICM) offers a nanoscale resolution, non-contact method of nanomechanical data acquisition. In this study, we used SICM to measure the nanomechanical properties of melanoma cell lines from different stages with increasing metastatic ability. Young's modulus changes following treatment with the anti-cancer drugs paclitaxel, cisplatin and dacarbazine were also measured, offering a novel perspective through the use of continuous scan mode SICM. We found that Young's modulus was inversely correlated to metastatic ability in melanoma cell lines from radial growth, vertical growth and metastatic phases. However, Young's modulus was found to be highly variable between cells and cell lines. For example, the highly metastatic cell line A375M was found to have a significantly higher Young's modulus, and this was attributed to a higher level of F-actin. Furthermore, our data following nanomechanical changes after 24 hour anti-cancer drug treatment showed that paclitaxel and cisplatin treatment significantly increased Young's modulus, attributed to an increase in microtubules. Treatment with dacarbazine saw a decrease in Young's modulus with a significantly lower F-actin corrected total cell fluorescence. Our data offer a new perspective on nanomechanical changes following drug treatment, which may be an overlooked effect. This work also highlights variations in cell nanomechanical properties between previous studies, cancer cell lines and cancer types and questions the usefulness of using nanomechanics as a diagnostic or prognostic tool.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Woodcock
- Molecular and Clinical Sciences Research Institute, St George’s, University of London, London SW17 0RE, UK; (E.W.)
- Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, W12 0NN London, UK (Y.K.)
| | - Peter V. Gorelkin
- Research Laboratory of Biophysics, National University of Science and Technology MISiS, Moscow 119049, Russia
| | - Philip S. Goff
- Molecular and Clinical Sciences Research Institute, St George’s, University of London, London SW17 0RE, UK; (E.W.)
| | | | - Yanjun Zhang
- Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, W12 0NN London, UK (Y.K.)
- Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-Nano LSI), Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Yuri Korchev
- Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, W12 0NN London, UK (Y.K.)
- Nano Life Science Institute (WPI-Nano LSI), Kanazawa University, Kakuma-machi, Kanazawa 920-1192, Japan
| | - Elena V. Sviderskaya
- Molecular and Clinical Sciences Research Institute, St George’s, University of London, London SW17 0RE, UK; (E.W.)
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21
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SubramanianBalachandar V, Islam MM, Steward RL. A machine learning approach to predict cellular mechanical stresses in response to chemical perturbation. Biophys J 2023; 122:3413-3424. [PMID: 37496269 PMCID: PMC10502424 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2023.07.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Mechanical stresses generated at the cell-cell level and cell-substrate level have been suggested to be important in a host of physiological and pathological processes. However, the influence various chemical compounds have on the mechanical stresses mentioned above is poorly understood, hindering the discovery of novel therapeutics, and representing a barrier in the field. To overcome this barrier, we implemented two approaches: 1) monolayer boundary predictor and 2) discretized window predictor utilizing either stepwise linear regression or quadratic support vector machine machine learning model to predict the dose-dependent response of tractions and intercellular stresses to chemical perturbation. We used experimental traction and intercellular stress data gathered from samples subject to 0.2 or 2 μg/mL drug concentrations along with cell morphological properties extracted from the bright-field images as predictors to train our model. To demonstrate the predictive capability of our machine learning models, we predicted tractions and intercellular stresses in response to 0 and 1 μg/mL drug concentrations which were not utilized in the training sets. Results revealed the discretized window predictor trained just with four samples (292 images) to best predict both intercellular stresses and tractions using the quadratic support vector machine and stepwise linear regression models, respectively, for the unseen sample images.
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Affiliation(s)
- VigneshAravind SubramanianBalachandar
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida; Department of Cell Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
| | - Md Mydul Islam
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida
| | - R L Steward
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida; Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
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22
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Gil‐Redondo JC, Weber A, Vivanco MDM, Toca‐Herrera JL. Measuring (biological) materials mechanics with atomic force microscopy. 5. Traction force microscopy (cell traction forces). Microsc Res Tech 2023; 86:1069-1078. [PMID: 37345422 PMCID: PMC10952526 DOI: 10.1002/jemt.24368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
Cells generate traction forces to probe the mechanical properties of the surroundings and maintain a basal equilibrium state of stress. Traction forces are also implicated in cell migration, adhesion and ECM remodeling, and alteration of these forces is often observed in pathologies such as cancer. Thus, analyzing the traction forces is important for studies of cell mechanics in cancer and metastasis. In this primer, the methodology for conducting two-dimensional traction force microscopy (2D-TFM) experiments is reported. As a practical example, we analyzed the traction forces generated by three human breast cancer cell lines of different metastatic potential: MCF10-A, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells, and studied the effects of actin cytoskeleton disruption on those traction forces. Contrary to what is often reported in literature, lower traction forces were observed in cells with higher metastatic potential (MDA-MB-231). Implications of substrate stiffness and concentration of extracellular matrix proteins in such findings are discussed in the text. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: Traction force microscopy (TFM) is suitable for studying and quantifying cell-substrate and cell-cell forces. TFM is suitable for investigating the relationship between chemical to mechanical signal transduction and vice versa. TFM can be combined with classical indentation studies providing a compact picture of cell mechanics. TFM still needs new physico-chemical (sample preparation) and computational approaches for more accurate data evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juan Carlos Gil‐Redondo
- Institute of Biophysics, Department of BionanosciencesUniversity of Natural Resources and Life Sciences ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Andreas Weber
- Institute of Biophysics, Department of BionanosciencesUniversity of Natural Resources and Life Sciences ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Maria dM. Vivanco
- Cancer Heterogeneity Lab, CIC BioGUNEBasque Research and Technology Alliance, BRTABizkaia Technology ParkDerioSpain
| | - José L. Toca‐Herrera
- Institute of Biophysics, Department of BionanosciencesUniversity of Natural Resources and Life Sciences ViennaViennaAustria
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23
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Raj M K, Priyadarshani J, Karan P, Bandyopadhyay S, Bhattacharya S, Chakraborty S. Bio-inspired microfluidics: A review. BIOMICROFLUIDICS 2023; 17:051503. [PMID: 37781135 PMCID: PMC10539033 DOI: 10.1063/5.0161809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
Biomicrofluidics, a subdomain of microfluidics, has been inspired by several ideas from nature. However, while the basic inspiration for the same may be drawn from the living world, the translation of all relevant essential functionalities to an artificially engineered framework does not remain trivial. Here, we review the recent progress in bio-inspired microfluidic systems via harnessing the integration of experimental and simulation tools delving into the interface of engineering and biology. Development of "on-chip" technologies as well as their multifarious applications is subsequently discussed, accompanying the relevant advancements in materials and fabrication technology. Pointers toward new directions in research, including an amalgamated fusion of data-driven modeling (such as artificial intelligence and machine learning) and physics-based paradigm, to come up with a human physiological replica on a synthetic bio-chip with due accounting of personalized features, are suggested. These are likely to facilitate physiologically replicating disease modeling on an artificially engineered biochip as well as advance drug development and screening in an expedited route with the minimization of animal and human trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kiran Raj M
- Department of Applied Mechanics and Biomedical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600036, India
| | - Jyotsana Priyadarshani
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Biomechanics Section (BMe), KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 300, 3001 Louvain, Belgium
| | - Pratyaksh Karan
- Géosciences Rennes Univ Rennes, CNRS, Géosciences Rennes, UMR 6118, 35000 Rennes, France
| | - Saumyadwip Bandyopadhyay
- Advanced Technology Development Centre, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302, India
| | - Soumya Bhattacharya
- Achira Labs Private Limited, 66b, 13th Cross Rd., Dollar Layout, 3–Phase, JP Nagar, Bangalore, Karnataka 560078, India
| | - Suman Chakraborty
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, West Bengal 721302, India
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24
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Meng Y, Huang K, Shi M, Huo Y, Han L, Liu B, Li Y. Research Advances in the Role of the Tropomyosin Family in Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:13295. [PMID: 37686101 PMCID: PMC10488083 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241713295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2023] [Revised: 08/22/2023] [Accepted: 08/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer is one of the most difficult diseases for human beings to overcome. Its development is closely related to a variety of factors, and its specific mechanisms have been a hot research topic in the field of scientific research. The tropomyosin family (Tpm) is a group of proteins closely related to the cytoskeleton and actin, and recent studies have shown that they play an important role in various cancers, participating in a variety of biological activities, including cell proliferation, invasion, and migration, and have been used as biomarkers for various cancers. The purpose of this review is to explore the research progress of the Tpm family in tumorigenesis development, focusing on the molecular pathways associated with them and their relevant activities involved in tumors. PubMed and Web of Science databases were searched for relevant studies on the role of Tpms in tumorigenesis and development and the activities of Tpms involved in tumors. Data from the literature suggest that the Tpm family is involved in tumor cell proliferation and growth, tumor cell invasion and migration, tumor angiogenesis, tumor cell apoptosis, and immune infiltration of the tumor microenvironment, among other correlations. It can be used as a potential biomarker for early diagnosis, follow-up, and therapeutic response of some tumors. The Tpm family is involved in cancer in a close relationship with miRNAs and LncRNAs. Tpms are involved in tumor tissue invasion and migration as a key link. On this basis, TPM is frequently used as a biomarker for various cancers. However, the specific molecular mechanism of its involvement in cancer progression has not been explained clearly, which remains an important direction for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yucheng Meng
- Key Laboratory of Dental Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Biological Intelligence Manufacturing, School of Stomatology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730030, China; (Y.M.); (K.H.); (M.S.); (Y.H.); (L.H.)
| | - Ke Huang
- Key Laboratory of Dental Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Biological Intelligence Manufacturing, School of Stomatology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730030, China; (Y.M.); (K.H.); (M.S.); (Y.H.); (L.H.)
- Key Laboratory of Preclinical Study for New Drugs of Gansu Province, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730030, China
| | - Mingxuan Shi
- Key Laboratory of Dental Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Biological Intelligence Manufacturing, School of Stomatology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730030, China; (Y.M.); (K.H.); (M.S.); (Y.H.); (L.H.)
| | - Yifei Huo
- Key Laboratory of Dental Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Biological Intelligence Manufacturing, School of Stomatology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730030, China; (Y.M.); (K.H.); (M.S.); (Y.H.); (L.H.)
| | - Liang Han
- Key Laboratory of Dental Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Biological Intelligence Manufacturing, School of Stomatology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730030, China; (Y.M.); (K.H.); (M.S.); (Y.H.); (L.H.)
| | - Bin Liu
- Key Laboratory of Dental Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Biological Intelligence Manufacturing, School of Stomatology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730030, China; (Y.M.); (K.H.); (M.S.); (Y.H.); (L.H.)
| | - Yi Li
- Key Laboratory of Dental Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Biological Intelligence Manufacturing, School of Stomatology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730030, China; (Y.M.); (K.H.); (M.S.); (Y.H.); (L.H.)
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25
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López-Guajardo A, Zafar A, Al Hennawi K, Rossi V, Alrwaili A, Medcalf JD, Dunning M, Nordgren N, Pettersson T, Estabrook ID, Hawkins RJ, Gad AKB. Regulation of cellular contractile force, shape and migration of fibroblasts by oncogenes and Histone deacetylase 6. Front Mol Biosci 2023; 10:1197814. [PMID: 37564130 PMCID: PMC10411354 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1197814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 07/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The capacity of cells to adhere to, exert forces upon and migrate through their surrounding environment governs tissue regeneration and cancer metastasis. The role of the physical contractile forces that cells exert in this process, and the underlying molecular mechanisms are not fully understood. We, therefore, aimed to clarify if the extracellular forces that cells exert on their environment and/or the intracellular forces that deform the cell nucleus, and the link between these forces, are defective in transformed and invasive fibroblasts, and to indicate the underlying molecular mechanism of control. Confocal, Epifluorescence and Traction force microscopy, followed by computational analysis, showed an increased maximum contractile force that cells apply on their environment and a decreased intracellular force on the cell nucleus in the invasive fibroblasts, as compared to normal control cells. Loss of HDAC6 activity by tubacin-treatment and siRNA-mediated HDAC6 knockdown also reversed the reduced size and more circular shape and defective migration of the transformed and invasive cells to normal. However, only tubacin-mediated, and not siRNA knockdown reversed the increased force of the invasive cells on their surrounding environment to normal, with no effects on nuclear forces. We observed that the forces on the environment and the nucleus were weakly positively correlated, with the exception of HDAC6 siRNA-treated cells, in which the correlation was weakly negative. The transformed and invasive fibroblasts showed an increased number and smaller cell-matrix adhesions than control, and neither tubacin-treatment, nor HDAC6 knockdown reversed this phenotype to normal, but instead increased it further. This highlights the possibility that the control of contractile force requires separate functions of HDAC6, than the control of cell adhesions, spreading and shape. These data are consistent with the possibility that defective force-transduction from the extracellular environment to the nucleus contributes to metastasis, via a mechanism that depends upon HDAC6. To our knowledge, our findings present the first correlation between the cellular forces that deforms the surrounding environment and the nucleus in fibroblasts, and it expands our understanding of how cells generate contractile forces that contribute to cell invasion and metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana López-Guajardo
- Department of Oncology and Metabolism, The Medical School, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Azeer Zafar
- Department of Oncology and Metabolism, The Medical School, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Khairat Al Hennawi
- Department of Oncology and Metabolism, The Medical School, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Valentina Rossi
- Immunology and Molecular Oncology Diagnostics, Veneto Institute of Oncology IOV-IRCCS, Padova, Italy
| | - Abdulaziz Alrwaili
- Department of Oncology and Metabolism, The Medical School, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Jessica D. Medcalf
- Department of Oncology and Metabolism, The Medical School, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Mark Dunning
- Bioinformatics Core, The Medical School, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Niklas Nordgren
- Division Bioeconomy and Health, RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Torbjörn Pettersson
- Fibre and Polymer Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Ian D. Estabrook
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
- Center for Advancing Electronics Dresden, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Rhoda J. Hawkins
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
- African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Accra, Ghana
| | - Annica K. B. Gad
- Department of Oncology and Metabolism, The Medical School, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
- Madeira Chemistry Research Centre, University of Madeira, Funchal, Portugal
- Department of Oncology-Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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26
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Teo YX, Lee KY, Goh CJH, Wang LC, Sobota RM, Chiam KH, Du C, Wan ACA. Fungus-derived protein particles as cell-adhesive matrices for cell-cultivated food. NPJ Sci Food 2023; 7:34. [PMID: 37443321 DOI: 10.1038/s41538-023-00209-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Cell-adhesive factors mediate adhesion of cells to substrates via peptide motifs such as the Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) sequence. With the onset of sustainability issues, there is a pressing need to find alternatives to animal-derived cell-adhesive factors, especially for cell-cultivated food applications. In this paper, we show how data mining can be a powerful approach toward identifying fungal-derived cell-adhesive proteins and present a method to isolate and utilize these proteins as extracellular matrices (ECM) to support cell adhesion and culture in 3D. Screening of a protein database for fungal and plant proteins uncovered that ~5.5% of the unique reported proteins contain RGD sequences. A plot of fungi species vs RGD percentage revealed that 98% of the species exhibited an RGD percentage > = 1%. We observed the formation of protein particles in crude extracts isolated from basidiomycete fungi, which could be correlated to their stability towards particle aggregation at different temperatures. These protein particles were incorporated in 3D fiber matrices encapsulating mouse myoblast cells, showing a positive effect on cell alignment. We demonstrated a cell traction stress on the protein particles (from Flammulina velutipes) that was comparable to cells on fibronectin. A snapshot of the RGD-containing proteins in the fungal extracts was obtained by combining SDS-PAGE and mass spectrometry of the peptide fragments obtained by enzymatic cleavage. Therefore, a sustainable source of cell-adhesive proteins is widely available in the fungi kingdom. A method has been developed to identify candidate species and produce cell-adhesive matrices, applicable to the cell-cultivated food and healthcare industries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Xing Teo
- Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation, Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, 138669, Singapore
| | - Kah Yin Lee
- Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation, Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, 138669, Singapore
| | - Corinna Jie Hui Goh
- Bioinformatics Institute, Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, 138671, Singapore
| | - Loo Chien Wang
- Functional Proteomics Laboratory, SingMass National Laboratory, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, 138673, Singapore
| | - Radoslaw M Sobota
- Functional Proteomics Laboratory, SingMass National Laboratory, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, 138673, Singapore
| | - Keng-Hwee Chiam
- Bioinformatics Institute, Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, 138671, Singapore
| | - Chan Du
- Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation, Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, 138669, Singapore.
| | - Andrew C A Wan
- Singapore Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation, Agency for Science, Technology, and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, 138669, Singapore.
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27
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Saraswathibhatla A, Indana D, Chaudhuri O. Cell-extracellular matrix mechanotransduction in 3D. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol 2023; 24:495-516. [PMID: 36849594 PMCID: PMC10656994 DOI: 10.1038/s41580-023-00583-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 116.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/01/2023]
Abstract
Mechanical properties of extracellular matrices (ECMs) regulate essential cell behaviours, including differentiation, migration and proliferation, through mechanotransduction. Studies of cell-ECM mechanotransduction have largely focused on cells cultured in 2D, on top of elastic substrates with a range of stiffnesses. However, cells often interact with ECMs in vivo in a 3D context, and cell-ECM interactions and mechanisms of mechanotransduction in 3D can differ from those in 2D. The ECM exhibits various structural features as well as complex mechanical properties. In 3D, mechanical confinement by the surrounding ECM restricts changes in cell volume and cell shape but allows cells to generate force on the matrix by extending protrusions and regulating cell volume as well as through actomyosin-based contractility. Furthermore, cell-matrix interactions are dynamic owing to matrix remodelling. Accordingly, ECM stiffness, viscoelasticity and degradability often play a critical role in regulating cell behaviours in 3D. Mechanisms of 3D mechanotransduction include traditional integrin-mediated pathways that sense mechanical properties and more recently described mechanosensitive ion channel-mediated pathways that sense 3D confinement, with both converging on the nucleus for downstream control of transcription and phenotype. Mechanotransduction is involved in tissues from development to cancer and is being increasingly harnessed towards mechanotherapy. Here we discuss recent progress in our understanding of cell-ECM mechanotransduction in 3D.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dhiraj Indana
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Ovijit Chaudhuri
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
- Sarafan ChEM-H, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
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28
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Subramanian Balachandar VA, Steward RL. Extracellular matrix composition alters endothelial force transmission. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol 2023; 325:C314-C323. [PMID: 37335028 PMCID: PMC10393341 DOI: 10.1152/ajpcell.00106.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023]
Abstract
Extracellular matrix (ECM) composition is important in a host of pathophysiological processes such as angiogenesis, atherosclerosis, and diabetes, and during each of these processes ECM composition has been reported to change over time. However, the impact ECM composition has on the ability of endothelium to respond mechanically is currently unknown. Therefore, in this study, we seeded human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) onto soft hydrogels coated with an ECM concentration of 0.1 mg/mL at the following collagen I (Col-I) and fibronectin (FN) ratios: 100% Col-I, 75% Col-I-25% FN, 50% Col-I-50% FN, 25% Col-I-75% FN, and 100% FN. We subsequently measured tractions, intercellular stresses, strain energy, cell morphology, and cell velocity. Our results revealed that tractions and strain energy are maximal at 50% Col-I-50% FN and minimal at 100% Col-I and 100% FN. Intercellular stress response was maximal on 50% Col-I-50% FN and minimal on 25% Col-I-75% FN. Cell area and cell circularity displayed a divergent relationship for different Col-I and FN ratios. We believe that these results will be of great importance to the cardiovascular field, biomedical field, and cell mechanics.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The endothelium constitutes the innermost layer of all blood vessels and plays an important role in vascular physiology and pathology. During certain vascular diseases, the extracellular matrix has been suggested to transition from a collagen-rich matrix to a fibronectin-rich matrix. In this study, we demonstrate the impact various collagen and fibronectin ratios have on endothelial biomechanical and morphological response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vignesh Aravind Subramanian Balachandar
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering and Computer Science, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, United States
- Department of Cell Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States
| | - Robert L Steward
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering and Computer Science, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, United States
- Burnett School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida, United States
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29
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Desjardins-Lecavalier N, Annis MG, Nowakowski A, Kiepas A, Binan L, Roy J, Modica G, Hébert S, Kleinman CL, Siegel PM, Costantino S. Migration speed of captured breast cancer subpopulations correlates with metastatic fitness. J Cell Sci 2023; 136:jcs260835. [PMID: 37313743 PMCID: PMC10657211 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.260835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The genetic alterations contributing to migration proficiency, a phenotypic hallmark of metastatic cells required for colonizing distant organs, remain poorly defined. Here, we used single-cell magneto-optical capture (scMOCa) to isolate fast cells from heterogeneous human breast cancer cell populations, based on their migratory ability alone. We show that captured fast cell subpopulations retain higher migration speed and focal adhesion dynamics over many generations as a result of a motility-related transcriptomic profile. Upregulated genes in isolated fast cells encoded integrin subunits, proto-cadherins and numerous other genes associated with cell migration. Dysregulation of several of these genes correlates with poor survival outcomes in people with breast cancer, and primary tumors established from fast cells generated a higher number of circulating tumor cells and soft tissue metastases in pre-clinical mouse models. Subpopulations of cells selected for a highly migratory phenotype demonstrated an increased fitness for metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Desjardins-Lecavalier
- Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Center, 5415, boulevard de l'Assomption, Montréal, QC H1T 2M4, Canada
- Institut de genie biomedical, University of Montreal, Pavillon Paul-G.-Desmarais, 2960, chemin de la Tour, Montréal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada
| | - Matthew G. Annis
- Goodman Cancer Institute, McGill University, 1160 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, QC H3A 1A3, Canada
- Department of Medicine, McGill University, 1001 Decarie Boulevard, Montreal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada
| | - Alexander Nowakowski
- Goodman Cancer Institute, McGill University, 1160 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, QC H3A 1A3, Canada
- Department of Medicine, McGill University, 1001 Decarie Boulevard, Montreal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada
| | - Alexander Kiepas
- Cell Biology Section, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health Bethesda, MA 20892-4370, USA
| | - Loïc Binan
- Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Center, 5415, boulevard de l'Assomption, Montréal, QC H1T 2M4, Canada
| | - Joannie Roy
- Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Center, 5415, boulevard de l'Assomption, Montréal, QC H1T 2M4, Canada
| | - Graziana Modica
- Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Center, 5415, boulevard de l'Assomption, Montréal, QC H1T 2M4, Canada
| | - Steven Hébert
- Lady Davis Institute, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3T 1E2, Canada
| | - Claudia L. Kleinman
- Lady Davis Institute, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3T 1E2, Canada
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montréal, QC H3T 1E2, Canada
| | - Peter M. Siegel
- Goodman Cancer Institute, McGill University, 1160 Pine Avenue West, Montreal, QC H3A 1A3, Canada
- Department of Medicine, McGill University, 1001 Decarie Boulevard, Montreal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada
| | - Santiago Costantino
- Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital Research Center, 5415, boulevard de l'Assomption, Montréal, QC H1T 2M4, Canada
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of Montreal, Pavillon Roger-Gaudry, Bureau S-700, 2900, boul. Édouard-Montpetit, Montréal, QC H3T 1J4, Canada
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30
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Oh M, Batty S, Banerjee N, Kim TH. High extracellular glucose promotes cell motility by modulating cell deformability and contractility via the cAMP-RhoA-ROCK axis in human breast cancer cells. Mol Biol Cell 2023; 34:ar79. [PMID: 37195739 PMCID: PMC10398875 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e22-12-0560] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Revised: 04/18/2023] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The mechanical properties, or mechanotypes, of cells are largely determined by their deformability and contractility. The ability of cancer cells to deform and generate contractile force is critical in multiple steps of metastasis. Identifying soluble cues that regulate cancer cell mechanotypes and understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms regulating these cellular mechanotypes could provide novel therapeutic targets to prevent metastasis. Although a strong correlation between high glucose level and cancer metastasis has been demonstrated, the causality has not been elucidated, and the underlying molecular mechanisms remain largely unknown. In this study, using novel high-throughput mechanotyping assays, we show that human breast cancer cells become less deformable and more contractile with increased extracellular glucose levels (>5 mM). These altered cell mechanotypes are due to increased F-actin rearrangement and nonmuscle myosin II (NMII) activity. We identify the cAMP-RhoA-ROCK-NMII axis as playing a major role in regulating cell mechanotypes at high extracellular glucose levels, whereas calcium and myosin light-chain kinase (MLCK) are not required. The altered mechanotypes are also associated with increased cell migration and invasion. Our study identifies key components in breast cancer cells that convert high extracellular glucose levels into changes in cellular mechanotype and behavior relevant in cancer metastasis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mijung Oh
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131
| | - Skylar Batty
- Undergraduate Pipeline Network Summer Research Program, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721
| | - Nayan Banerjee
- School of Chemical Sciences, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700032, West Bengal, India
| | - Tae-Hyung Kim
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131
- University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center, Albuquerque, NM 87131
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31
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Higgins G, Higgins F, Peres J, Lang DM, Abdalrahman T, Zaman MH, Prince S, Franz T. Intracellular mechanics and TBX3 expression jointly dictate the spreading mode of melanoma cells in 3D environments. Exp Cell Res 2023; 428:113633. [PMID: 37172754 DOI: 10.1016/j.yexcr.2023.113633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2023] [Revised: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Cell stiffness and T-box transcription factor 3 (TBX3) expression have been identified as biomarkers of melanoma metastasis in 2D environments. This study aimed to determine how mechanical and biochemical properties of melanoma cells change during cluster formation in 3D environments. Vertical growth phase (VGP) and metastatic (MET) melanoma cells were embedded in 3D collagen matrices of 2 and 4 mg/ml collagen concentrations, representing low and high matrix stiffness. Mitochondrial fluctuation, intracellular stiffness, and TBX3 expression were quantified before and during cluster formation. In isolated cells, mitochondrial fluctuation decreased and intracellular stiffness increased with increase in disease stage from VGP to MET and increased matrix stiffness. TBX3 was highly expressed in soft matrices but diminished in stiff matrices for VGP and MET cells. Cluster formation of VGP cells was excessive in soft matrices but limited in stiff matrices, whereas for MET cells it was limited in soft and stiff matrices. In soft matrices, VGP cells did not change the intracellular properties, whereas MET cells exhibited increased mitochondrial fluctuation and decreased TBX3 expression. In stiff matrices, mitochondrial fluctuation and TBX3 expression increased in VGP and MET, and intracellular stiffness increased in VGP but decreased in MET cells. The findings suggest that soft extracellular environments are more favourable for tumour growth, and high TBX3 levels mediate collective cell migration and tumour growth in the earlier VGP disease stage but play a lesser role in the later metastatic stage of melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ghodeejah Higgins
- Biomedical Engineering Research Centre, Division of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Human Biology, University of Cape Town, Observatory, South Africa
| | - Faatiemah Higgins
- Division of Cell Biology, Department of Human Biology, University of Cape Town, Observatory, South Africa
| | - Jade Peres
- Division of Cell Biology, Department of Human Biology, University of Cape Town, Observatory, South Africa
| | - Dirk M Lang
- Division of Cell Biology, Department of Human Biology, University of Cape Town, Observatory, South Africa
| | - Tamer Abdalrahman
- Biomedical Engineering Research Centre, Division of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Human Biology, University of Cape Town, Observatory, South Africa
| | - Muhammad H Zaman
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
| | - Sharon Prince
- Division of Cell Biology, Department of Human Biology, University of Cape Town, Observatory, South Africa
| | - Thomas Franz
- Biomedical Engineering Research Centre, Division of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Human Biology, University of Cape Town, Observatory, South Africa; Bioengineering Science Research Group, Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.
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32
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Esser L, Springer R, Dreissen G, Lövenich L, Konrad J, Hampe N, Merkel R, Hoffmann B, Noetzel E. Elastomeric Pillar Cages Modulate Actomyosin Contractility of Epithelial Microtissues by Substrate Stiffness and Topography. Cells 2023; 12:cells12091256. [PMID: 37174659 PMCID: PMC10177551 DOI: 10.3390/cells12091256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2023] [Revised: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Cell contractility regulates epithelial tissue geometry development and homeostasis. The underlying mechanobiological regulation circuits are poorly understood and experimentally challenging. We developed an elastomeric pillar cage (EPC) array to quantify cell contractility as a mechanoresponse of epithelial microtissues to substrate stiffness and topography. The spatially confined EPC geometry consisted of 24 circularly arranged slender pillars (1.2 MPa, height: 50 µm; diameter: 10 µm, distance: 5 µm). These high-aspect-ratio pillars were confined at both ends by planar substrates with different stiffness (0.15-1.2 MPa). Analytical modeling and finite elements simulation retrieved cell forces from pillar displacements. For evaluation, highly contractile myofibroblasts and cardiomyocytes were assessed to demonstrate that the EPC device can resolve static and dynamic cellular force modes. Human breast (MCF10A) and skin (HaCaT) cells grew as adherence junction-stabilized 3D microtissues within the EPC geometry. Planar substrate areas triggered the spread of monolayered clusters with substrate stiffness-dependent actin stress fiber (SF)-formation and substantial single-cell actomyosin contractility (150-200 nN). Within the same continuous microtissues, the pillar-ring topography induced the growth of bilayered cell tubes. The low effective pillar stiffness overwrote cellular sensing of the high substrate stiffness and induced SF-lacking roundish cell shapes with extremely low cortical actin tension (11-15 nN). This work introduced a versatile biophysical tool to explore mechanobiological regulation circuits driving low- and high-tensional states during microtissue development and homeostasis. EPC arrays facilitate simultaneously analyzing the impact of planar substrate stiffness and topography on microtissue contractility, hence microtissue geometry and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisann Esser
- Institute of Biological Information Processing 2 (IBI-2): Mechanobiology, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Ronald Springer
- Institute of Biological Information Processing 2 (IBI-2): Mechanobiology, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Georg Dreissen
- Institute of Biological Information Processing 2 (IBI-2): Mechanobiology, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Lukas Lövenich
- Institute of Biological Information Processing 2 (IBI-2): Mechanobiology, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Jens Konrad
- Institute of Biological Information Processing 2 (IBI-2): Mechanobiology, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Nico Hampe
- Institute of Biological Information Processing 2 (IBI-2): Mechanobiology, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Rudolf Merkel
- Institute of Biological Information Processing 2 (IBI-2): Mechanobiology, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Bernd Hoffmann
- Institute of Biological Information Processing 2 (IBI-2): Mechanobiology, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52428 Jülich, Germany
| | - Erik Noetzel
- Institute of Biological Information Processing 2 (IBI-2): Mechanobiology, Forschungszentrum Jülich, 52428 Jülich, Germany
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33
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Heussner RK, Zhang H, Qian G, Baker MJ, Provenzano PP. Differential contractility regulates cancer stem cell migration. Biophys J 2023; 122:1198-1210. [PMID: 36772795 PMCID: PMC10111274 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2023.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2021] [Revised: 10/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are known to have a high capacity for tumor initiation and the formation of metastases. We have previously shown that in collagen constructs mimetic of aligned extracellular matrix architectures observed in carcinomas, breast CSCs demonstrate enhanced directional and total motility compared with more differentiated carcinoma populations. Here, we show that CSCs maintain increased motility in diverse environments including on 2D elastic polyacrylamide gels of various stiffness, 3D randomly oriented collagen matrices, and ectopic cerebral slices representative of a common metastatic site. A consistent twofold increase of CSC motility across platforms suggests a general shift in cell migration mechanics between well-differentiated carcinoma cells and their stem-like counterparts. To further elucidate the source of differences in migration, we demonstrate that CSCs are less contractile than the whole population (WP) and develop fewer and smaller focal adhesions and show that enhanced CSC migration can be tuned via contractile forces. The WP can be shifted to a CSC-like migratory phenotype using partial myosin II inhibition. Inversely, CSCs can be shifted to a less migratory WP-like phenotype using microtubule-destabilizing drugs that increase contractility or by directly enhancing contractile forces. This work begins to reveal the mechanistic differences driving CSC migration and raises important implications regarding the potentially disparate effects of microtubule-targeting agents on the motility of different cell populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel K Heussner
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota; University of Minnesota Physical Sciences in Oncology Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Hongrong Zhang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota; University of Minnesota Physical Sciences in Oncology Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota; University of Minnesota Center for Multiparametric Imaging of Tumor Immune Microenvironments, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Guhan Qian
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota; University of Minnesota Physical Sciences in Oncology Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota; University of Minnesota Center for Multiparametric Imaging of Tumor Immune Microenvironments, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Mikayla J Baker
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota; University of Minnesota Physical Sciences in Oncology Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota; University of Minnesota Center for Multiparametric Imaging of Tumor Immune Microenvironments, Minneapolis, Minnesota
| | - Paolo P Provenzano
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota; University of Minnesota Physical Sciences in Oncology Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota; University of Minnesota Center for Multiparametric Imaging of Tumor Immune Microenvironments, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Department of Hematology, Oncology, and Transplantation, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Institute for Engineering in Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Stem Cell Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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34
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Xu W, Kabariti S, Young KM, Swingle SP, Liu AY, Sulchek T. Strain-dependent elastography of cancer cells reveals heterogeneity and stiffening due to attachment. J Biomech 2023; 150:111479. [PMID: 36871429 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2023.111479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Revised: 01/12/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023]
Abstract
Because cells vary in thickness and in biomechanical properties, the use of a constant force trigger during atomic force microscopy (AFM) stiffness mapping produces a varied nominal strain that can obfuscate the comparison of local material properties. In this study, we measured the biomechanical spatial heterogeneity of ovarian and breast cancer cells by using an indentation-dependent pointwise Hertzian method. Force curves and surface topography were used together to determine cell stiffness as a function of nominal strain. By recording stiffness at a particular strain, it may be possible to improve comparison of the material properties of cells and produce higher contrast representations of cell mechanical properties. Defining a linear region of elasticity that corresponds to a modest nominal strain, we were able to clearly distinguish the mechanics of the perinuclear region of cells. We observed that, relative to the lamelopodial stiffness, the perinuclear region was softer for metastatic cancer cells than their nonmetastatic counterparts. Moreover, contrast in the strain-dependent elastography in comparison to conventional force mapping with Hertzian model analysis revealed a significant stiffening phenomenon in the thin lamellipodial region in which the modulus scales inversely and exponentially with cell thickness. The observed exponential stiffening is not affected by relaxation of cytoskeletal tension, but finite element modeling indicates it is affected by substrate adhesion. The novel cell mapping technique explores cancer cell mechanical nonlinearity that results from regional heterogeneity, which could help explain how metastatic cancer cells can show soft phenotypes while simultaneously increasing force generation and invasiveness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenwei Xu
- George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332 USA
| | - Saif Kabariti
- George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332 USA
| | - Katherine M Young
- Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332 USA
| | - Steven P Swingle
- George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332 USA
| | - Alan Y Liu
- George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332 USA
| | - Todd Sulchek
- George W. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332 USA; Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332 USA.
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35
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Liu S, Li Y, Hong Y, Wang M, Zhang H, Ma J, Qu K, Huang G, Lu TJ. Mechanotherapy in oncology: Targeting nuclear mechanics and mechanotransduction. Adv Drug Deliv Rev 2023; 194:114722. [PMID: 36738968 DOI: 10.1016/j.addr.2023.114722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Revised: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 01/28/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Mechanotherapy is proposed as a new option for cancer treatment. Increasing evidence suggests that characteristic differences are present in the nuclear mechanics and mechanotransduction of cancer cells compared with those of normal cells. Recent advances in understanding nuclear mechanics and mechanotransduction provide not only further insights into the process of malignant transformation but also useful references for developing new therapeutic approaches. Herein, we present an overview of the alterations of nuclear mechanics and mechanotransduction in cancer cells and highlight their implications in cancer mechanotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaobao Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, PR China; MIIT Key Laboratory of Multifunctional Lightweight Materials and Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics, Nanjing 210016, PR China
| | - Yuan Li
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, PR China; Bioinspired Engineering and Biomechanics Center (BEBC), Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, PR China
| | - Yuan Hong
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, PR China; Bioinspired Engineering and Biomechanics Center (BEBC), Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, PR China; National Science Foundation Science and Technology Center for Engineering Mechanobiology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - Ming Wang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, PR China; Bioinspired Engineering and Biomechanics Center (BEBC), Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, PR China
| | - Hao Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, PR China; MIIT Key Laboratory of Multifunctional Lightweight Materials and Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics, Nanjing 210016, PR China
| | - Jinlu Ma
- Department of Radiation Oncology, the First Affiliated Hospital, Xian Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, PR China
| | - Kai Qu
- Department of Hepatobiliary Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital, Xian Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, PR China
| | - Guoyou Huang
- Department of Engineering Mechanics, School of Civil Engineering, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, PR China.
| | - Tian Jian Lu
- State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control of Mechanical Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Nanjing 210016, PR China; MIIT Key Laboratory of Multifunctional Lightweight Materials and Structures, Nanjing University of Aeronautics, Nanjing 210016, PR China.
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36
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SubramanianBalachandar V, Steward RL. Extracellular Matrix Composition Alters Endothelial Force Transmission. RESEARCH SQUARE 2023:rs.3.rs-2499973. [PMID: 36747754 PMCID: PMC9900979 DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-2499973/v1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
ECM composition is important in a host of pathophysiological processes such as angiogenesis, atherosclerosis, and diabetes, for example and during each of these processes ECM composition has been reported to change over time. However, the impact ECM composition has on the endothelium’s ability to respond mechanically is currently unknown. Therefore, in this study we seeded human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) onto soft hydrogels coated with an ECM concentration of 0.1 mg/mL at the following collagen I (Col-I) and fibronectin (FN) ratios: 100%Col-I, 75%Col-I-25%FN, 50%Col-I-50%FN, 25%Col-I-75%FN, and 100%FN. We subsequently measured tractions, intercellular stresses, strain energy, cell morphology, and cell velocity. Our results revealed huvecs seeded on gels coated with 50% Col-I - 50% FN to have the highest intercellular stresses, tractions, strain energies, but the lowest velocities and cell circularity. Huvecs seeded on 100% Col-I had the lowest tractions, cell area while havingthe highest velocities and cell circularity. In addition, cells cultured on 25% Col-I and 75% FN had the lowest intercellular stresses, but the highest cell area. Huvecs cultured on 100% FN yielded the lowest strain energies. We believe these results will be of great importance to the cardiovascular field, biomedical field, and cell mechanics. Summary: Study the influence of different Col-I - FN ECM compositions on endothelial cell mechanics and morphology.
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37
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Leartprapun N, Adie SG. Recent advances in optical elastography and emerging opportunities in the basic sciences and translational medicine [Invited]. BIOMEDICAL OPTICS EXPRESS 2023; 14:208-248. [PMID: 36698669 PMCID: PMC9842001 DOI: 10.1364/boe.468932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Revised: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Optical elastography offers a rich body of imaging capabilities that can serve as a bridge between organ-level medical elastography and single-molecule biophysics. We review the methodologies and recent developments in optical coherence elastography, Brillouin microscopy, optical microrheology, and photoacoustic elastography. With an outlook toward maximizing the basic science and translational clinical impact of optical elastography technologies, we discuss potential ways that these techniques can integrate not only with each other, but also with supporting technologies and capabilities in other biomedical fields. By embracing cross-modality and cross-disciplinary interactions with these parallel fields, optical elastography can greatly increase its potential to drive new discoveries in the biomedical sciences as well as the development of novel biomechanics-based clinical diagnostics and therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nichaluk Leartprapun
- Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
- Present affiliation: Wellman Center for Photomedicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA
| | - Steven G. Adie
- Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
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38
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Schwager SC, Young KM, Hapach LA, Carlson CM, Mosier JA, McArdle TJ, Wang W, Schunk C, Jayathilake AL, Bates ME, Bordeleau F, Antonyak MA, Cerione RA, Reinhart-King CA. Weakly migratory metastatic breast cancer cells activate fibroblasts via microvesicle-Tg2 to facilitate dissemination and metastasis. eLife 2022; 11:e74433. [PMID: 36475545 PMCID: PMC9767463 DOI: 10.7554/elife.74433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer cell migration is highly heterogeneous, and the migratory capability of cancer cells is thought to be an indicator of metastatic potential. It is becoming clear that a cancer cell does not have to be inherently migratory to metastasize, with weakly migratory cancer cells often found to be highly metastatic. However, the mechanism through which weakly migratory cells escape from the primary tumor remains unclear. Here, utilizing phenotypically sorted highly and weakly migratory human breast cancer cells, we demonstrate that weakly migratory metastatic cells disseminate from the primary tumor via communication with stromal cells. While highly migratory cells are capable of single cell migration, weakly migratory cells rely on cell-cell signaling with fibroblasts to escape the primary tumor. Weakly migratory cells release microvesicles rich in tissue transglutaminase 2 (Tg2) which activate murine fibroblasts and lead weakly migratory cancer cell migration in vitro. These microvesicles also induce tumor stiffening and fibroblast activation in vivo and enhance the metastasis of weakly migratory cells. Our results identify microvesicles and Tg2 as potential therapeutic targets for metastasis and reveal a novel aspect of the metastatic cascade in which weakly migratory cells release microvesicles which activate fibroblasts to enhance cancer cell dissemination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha C Schwager
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt UniversityNashvilleUnited States
| | - Katherine M Young
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt UniversityNashvilleUnited States
| | - Lauren A Hapach
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt UniversityNashvilleUnited States
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Cornell UniversityIthacaUnited States
| | - Caroline M Carlson
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt UniversityNashvilleUnited States
| | - Jenna A Mosier
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt UniversityNashvilleUnited States
| | | | - Wenjun Wang
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt UniversityNashvilleUnited States
| | - Curtis Schunk
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt UniversityNashvilleUnited States
| | | | - Madison E Bates
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Vanderbilt UniversityNashvilleUnited States
| | - Francois Bordeleau
- CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Center (Oncology division), UniversitéLaval Cancer Research Center and Faculty of Medicine, Université LavalQuébeccCanada
| | - Marc A Antonyak
- Department of Biomedical Science, Cornell UniversityIthacaUnited States
| | - Richard A Cerione
- Department of Biomedical Science, Cornell UniversityIthacaUnited States
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39
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Piquet L, Coutant K, Mitchell A, Ben Anes A, Bollmann E, Schoonjans N, Bérubé J, Bordeleau F, Brisson A, Landreville S. Extracellular Vesicles from Ocular Melanoma Have Pro-Fibrotic and Pro-Angiogenic Properties on the Tumor Microenvironment. Cells 2022; 11:cells11233828. [PMID: 36497088 PMCID: PMC9736613 DOI: 10.3390/cells11233828] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2022] [Revised: 11/19/2022] [Accepted: 11/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common primary intraocular tumor and often spreads to the liver. Intercellular communication though extracellular vesicles (EVs) plays an important role in several oncogenic processes, including metastasis, therapeutic resistance, and immune escape. This study examines how EVs released by UM cells modify stellate and endothelial cells in the tumor microenvironment. The surface markers, and the concentration and size of EVs derived from UM cells or choroidal melanocytes were characterized by high-resolution flow cytometry, electron microscopy, and Western blotting. The selective biodistribution of EVs was studied in mice by fluorescence imaging. The activation/contractility of stellate cells and the tubular organization of endothelial cells after exposure to melanomic EVs were determined by traction force microscopy, collagen gel contraction, or endothelial tube formation assays. We showed that large EVs from UM cells and healthy melanocytes are heterogenous in size, as well as their expression of phosphatidylserine, tetraspanins, and Tsg101. Melanomic EVs mainly accumulated in the liver and lungs of mice. Hepatic stellate cells with internalized melanomic EVs had increased contractility, whereas EV-treated endothelial cells developed more capillary-like networks. Our study demonstrates that the transfer of EVs from UM cells leads to a pro-fibrotic and pro-angiogenic phenotype in hepatic stellate and endothelial cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Léo Piquet
- Faculté de Médecine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1S 4L8, Canada
- Centre de Recherche sur le Cancer de l’Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1R 3S3, Canada
- Centre de Recherche en Organogénèse Expérimentale de l’Université Laval/LOEX, Quebec City, QC G1J 1Z4, Canada
| | - Kelly Coutant
- Faculté de Médecine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1S 4L8, Canada
- Centre de Recherche sur le Cancer de l’Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1R 3S3, Canada
- Centre de Recherche en Organogénèse Expérimentale de l’Université Laval/LOEX, Quebec City, QC G1J 1Z4, Canada
| | - Andrew Mitchell
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1S 4L8, Canada
- Centre de Recherche sur le Cancer de l’Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1R 3S3, Canada
- Centre de Recherche en Organogénèse Expérimentale de l’Université Laval/LOEX, Quebec City, QC G1J 1Z4, Canada
| | - Amel Ben Anes
- Faculté de Médecine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Enola Bollmann
- Faculté de Médecine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1S 4L8, Canada
- Centre de Recherche sur le Cancer de l’Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1R 3S3, Canada
- Centre de Recherche en Organogénèse Expérimentale de l’Université Laval/LOEX, Quebec City, QC G1J 1Z4, Canada
| | - Nathan Schoonjans
- Faculté de Médecine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Julie Bérubé
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1S 4L8, Canada
- Centre de Recherche sur le Cancer de l’Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1R 3S3, Canada
- Centre de Recherche en Organogénèse Expérimentale de l’Université Laval/LOEX, Quebec City, QC G1J 1Z4, Canada
| | - François Bordeleau
- Faculté de Médecine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1S 4L8, Canada
- Centre de Recherche sur le Cancer de l’Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1R 3S3, Canada
- Centre de Recherche en Organogénèse Expérimentale de l’Université Laval/LOEX, Quebec City, QC G1J 1Z4, Canada
| | - Alain Brisson
- UMR-CBMN, CNRS-Université de Bordeaux-IPB, 33600 Pessac, France
| | - Solange Landreville
- Faculté de Médecine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
- Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1S 4L8, Canada
- Centre de Recherche sur le Cancer de l’Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1R 3S3, Canada
- Centre de Recherche en Organogénèse Expérimentale de l’Université Laval/LOEX, Quebec City, QC G1J 1Z4, Canada
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-418-682-7693
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Molter CW, Muszynski EF, Tao Y, Trivedi T, Clouvel A, Ehrlicher AJ. Prostate cancer cells of increasing metastatic potential exhibit diverse contractile forces, cell stiffness, and motility in a microenvironment stiffness-dependent manner. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:932510. [PMID: 36200037 PMCID: PMC9527313 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.932510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
During metastasis, all cancer types must migrate through crowded multicellular environments. Simultaneously, cancers appear to change their biophysical properties. Indeed, cell softening and increased contractility are emerging as seemingly ubiquitous biomarkers of metastatic progression which may facilitate metastasis. Cell stiffness and contractility are also influenced by the microenvironment. Stiffer matrices resembling the tumor microenvironment cause metastatic cells to contract more strongly, further promoting contractile tumorigenic phenotypes. Prostate cancer (PCa), however, appears to deviate from these common cancer biophysics trends; aggressive metastatic PCa cells appear stiffer, rather than softer, to their lowly metastatic PCa counterparts. Although metastatic PCa cells have been reported to be more contractile than healthy cells, how cell contractility changes with increasing PCa metastatic potential has remained unknown. Here, we characterize the biophysical changes of PCa cells of various metastatic potential as a function of microenvironment stiffness. Using a panel of progressively increasing metastatic potential cell lines (22RV1, LNCaP, DU145, and PC3), we quantified their contractility using traction force microscopy (TFM), and measured their cortical stiffness using optical magnetic twisting cytometry (OMTC) and their motility using time-lapse microscopy. We found that PCa contractility, cell stiffness, and motility do not universally scale with metastatic potential. Rather, PCa cells of various metastatic efficiencies exhibit unique biophysical responses that are differentially influenced by substrate stiffness. Despite this biophysical diversity, this work concludes that mechanical microenvironment is a key determinant in the biophysical response of PCa with variable metastatic potentials. The mechanics-oriented focus and methodology of the study is unique and complementary to conventional biochemical and genetic strategies typically used to understand this disease, and thus may usher in new perspectives and approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clayton W. Molter
- Department of Bioengineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Eliana F. Muszynski
- Department of Bioengineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Yuanyuan Tao
- Department of Bioengineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Tanisha Trivedi
- Department of Bioengineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Anna Clouvel
- Department of Bioengineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Allen J. Ehrlicher
- Department of Bioengineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Rosalind and Morris Goodman Cancer Research Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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Millet M, Bollmann E, Ringuette Goulet C, Bernard G, Chabaud S, Huot MÉ, Pouliot F, Bolduc S, Bordeleau F. Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts in a 3D Engineered Tissue Model Induce Tumor-like Matrix Stiffening and EMT Transition. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14153810. [PMID: 35954473 PMCID: PMC9367573 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14153810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 07/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The physical properties of a tumor, such as stiffness, are important drivers of tumor progression. However, current in vitro tumor models fail to recapitulate the full range of physical properties observed in solid tumors. Here, we proposed a 3D self-assembly engineered bladder model using cancer-associated fibroblasts in which stromal cells produce their extracellular matrix. We then proceeded to assess how our model recapitulates biological and mechanical features found in tumors. We confirmed that stroma assembled by cancer-associated fibroblasts have increased extracellular matrix content and display increased remodeling and higher stiffness. Moreover, normal urothelial cells seeded on the tumor model displayed a mechanotransduction response, increased cell proliferation, cell infiltration within stroma, and displayed features of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. Altogether, we demonstrated that our cancer-associated fibroblast-derived tumor stroma recapitulates several biological and physical features expected from a tumor-like environment and, thus, provides the basis for more accurate cancer models. Abstract A tumor microenvironment is characterized by its altered mechanical properties. However, most models remain unable to faithfully recreate the mechanical properties of a tumor. Engineered models based on the self-assembly method have the potential to better recapitulate the stroma architecture and composition. Here, we used the self-assembly method based on a bladder tissue model to engineer a tumor-like environment. The tissue-engineered tumor models were reconstituted from stroma-derived healthy primary fibroblasts (HFs) induced into cancer-associated fibroblast cells (iCAFs) along with an urothelium overlay. The iCAFs-derived extracellular matrix (ECM) composition was found to be stiffer, with increased ECM deposition and remodeling. The urothelial cells overlaid on the iCAFs-derived ECM were more contractile, as measured by quantitative polarization microscopy, and displayed increased YAP nuclear translocation. We further showed that the proliferation and expression of epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) marker in the urothelial cells correlate with the increased stiffness of the iCAFs-derived ECM. Our data showed an increased expression of EMT markers within the urothelium on the iCAFs-derived ECM. Together, our results demonstrate that our tissue-engineered tumor model can achieve stiffness levels comparable to that of a bladder tumor, while triggering a tumor-like response from the urothelium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martial Millet
- CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Center (Oncology Division) and Université Laval Cancer Research Center, Quebec City, QC G1R 3S3, Canada
| | - Enola Bollmann
- CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Center (Oncology Division) and Université Laval Cancer Research Center, Quebec City, QC G1R 3S3, Canada
| | - Cassandra Ringuette Goulet
- CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Center (Oncology Division) and Université Laval Cancer Research Center, Quebec City, QC G1R 3S3, Canada
- CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Center (Regenerative Medicine Division), Quebec City, QC G1V 4G2, Canada
- Centre de Recherche en Organogénèse Expérimentale/LOEX, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1J 1Z4, Canada
| | - Geneviève Bernard
- CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Center (Regenerative Medicine Division), Quebec City, QC G1V 4G2, Canada
- Centre de Recherche en Organogénèse Expérimentale/LOEX, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1J 1Z4, Canada
| | - Stéphane Chabaud
- CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Center (Regenerative Medicine Division), Quebec City, QC G1V 4G2, Canada
- Centre de Recherche en Organogénèse Expérimentale/LOEX, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1J 1Z4, Canada
| | - Marc-Étienne Huot
- CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Center (Oncology Division) and Université Laval Cancer Research Center, Quebec City, QC G1R 3S3, Canada
- Department of Molecular Biology, Medical Biochemistry and Pathology, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Frédéric Pouliot
- CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Center (Oncology Division) and Université Laval Cancer Research Center, Quebec City, QC G1R 3S3, Canada
- Department of Surgery, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Stéphane Bolduc
- CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Center (Regenerative Medicine Division), Quebec City, QC G1V 4G2, Canada
- Centre de Recherche en Organogénèse Expérimentale/LOEX, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1J 1Z4, Canada
- Department of Surgery, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - François Bordeleau
- CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Center (Oncology Division) and Université Laval Cancer Research Center, Quebec City, QC G1R 3S3, Canada
- Centre de Recherche en Organogénèse Expérimentale/LOEX, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1J 1Z4, Canada
- Department of Molecular Biology, Medical Biochemistry and Pathology, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +1-418-525-4444 (ext. 15554)
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Senigagliesi B, Samperi G, Cefarin N, Gneo L, Petrosino S, Apollonio M, Caponnetto F, Sgarra R, Collavin L, Cesselli D, Casalis L, Parisse P. Triple negative breast cancer-derived small extracellular vesicles as modulator of biomechanics in target cells. NANOMEDICINE : NANOTECHNOLOGY, BIOLOGY, AND MEDICINE 2022; 44:102582. [PMID: 35817390 DOI: 10.1016/j.nano.2022.102582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
Extracellular vesicle (EV) mediated communication has recently been proposed as one of the pivotal routes in the development of cancer metastasis. EVs are nano-sized vesicles swapped between cells, carrying a biologically active content that can promote tumor-induced immune suppression, metastasis and angiogenesis. Thus, EVs constitute a potential target in cancer therapy. However, their role in triggering the premetastatic niche and in tumor spreading is still unclear. Here, we focused on the EV ability to modulate the biomechanical properties of target cells, known to play a crucial role in metastatic spreading. To this purpose, we isolated and thoroughly characterized triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC)-derived small EVs. We then evaluated variations in the mechanical properties (cell stiffness, cytoskeleton/nuclear/morphology and Yap activity rearrangements) of non-metastatic breast cancer MCF7 cells upon EV treatment. Our results suggest that TNBC-derived small EVs are able to directly modify MCF7 cells by inducing a decrease in cell stiffness, rearrangements in cytoskeleton, focal adhesions and nuclear/cellular morphology, and an increase in Yap downstream gene expression. Testing the biomechanical response of cells after EV addition might represent a new functional assay in metastatic cancer framework that can be exploited for future application both in diagnosis and in therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatrice Senigagliesi
- Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati, Trieste, Italy; Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A, Trieste, Italy.
| | | | - Nicola Cefarin
- Istituto Officina dei Materiali Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Trieste, Italy
| | | | - Sara Petrosino
- Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine, Naples, Italy.
| | - Mattia Apollonio
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | | | - Riccardo Sgarra
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
| | - Licio Collavin
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy.
| | - Daniela Cesselli
- Pathology Department, University Hospital of Udine, Udine, Italy; Department of Medicine, University of Udine, Udine, Italy.
| | | | - Pietro Parisse
- Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste S.C.p.A, Trieste, Italy; Istituto Officina dei Materiali Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Trieste, Italy.
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43
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Alrumaihi F. The Multi-Functional Roles of CCR7 in Human Immunology and as a Promising Therapeutic Target for Cancer Therapeutics. Front Mol Biosci 2022; 9:834149. [PMID: 35874608 PMCID: PMC9298655 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.834149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 05/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
An important hallmark of the human immune system is to provide adaptive immunity against pathogens but tolerance toward self-antigens. The CC-chemokine receptor 7 (CCR7) provides a significant contribution in guiding cells to and within lymphoid organs and is important for acquiring immunity and tolerance. The CCR7 holds great importance in establishing thymic architecture and function and naïve and regulatory T-cell homing in the lymph nodes. Similarly, the receptor is a key regulator in cancer cell migration and the movement of dendritic cells. This makes the CCR7 an important receptor as a drug and prognostic marker. In this review, we discussed several biological roles of the CCR7 and its importance as a drug and prognostic marker.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faris Alrumaihi
- Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia
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44
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Tomar A, Uysal-Onganer P, Basnett P, Pati U, Roy I. 3D Disease Modelling of Hard and Soft Cancer Using PHA-Based Scaffolds. Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:3549. [PMID: 35884609 PMCID: PMC9321847 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14143549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Tumour cells are shown to change shape and lose polarity when they are cultured in 3D, a feature typically associated with tumour progression in vivo, thus making it significant to study cancer cells in an environment that mimics the in vivo milieu. In this study we established hard (MCF7 and MDA-MB-231, breast cancer) and soft (HCT116, colon cancer) 3D cancer tumour models utilizing a blend of P(3HO-co-3HD) and P(3HB). P(3HO-co-3HD) and P(3HB) belong to a group of natural biodegradable polyesters, PHAs, that are synthesised by microorganisms. The 3D PHA scaffolds produced, with a pore size of 30 to 300 µm, allow for nutrients to diffuse within the scaffold and provide the cells with the flexibility to distribute evenly within the scaffold and grow within the pores. Interestingly, by Day 5, MDA-MB-231 showed dispersed growth in clusters, and MCF7 cells formed an evenly dispersed dense layer, while HCT116 formed large colonies within the pockets of the 3D PHA scaffolds. Our results show Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) marker gene expression profiles in the hard tumour cancer models. In the 3D-based PHA scaffolds, MDA-MB-231 cells expressed higher levels of Wnt-11 and mesenchymal markers, such as Snail and its downstream gene Vim mRNAs, while MCF7 cells exhibited no change in their expression. On the other hand, MCF7 cells exhibited a significantly increased E-Cadherin expression as compared to MDA-MB-231 cells. The expression levels of EMT markers were comparative to their expression reported in the tumour samples, making them good representative of cancer models. In future these models will be helpful in mimicking hypoxic tumours, in studying gene expression, cellular signalling, angiogenesis and drug response more accurately than 2D and perhaps other 3D models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akanksha Tomar
- School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India;
| | - Pinar Uysal-Onganer
- Cancer Research Group, School of Life Sciences, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Westminster, London W1W 6UW, UK;
| | - Pooja Basnett
- School of Life Sciences, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Westminster, London W1W 6XH, UK;
| | - Uttam Pati
- School of Biotechnology, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi 110067, India;
| | - Ipsita Roy
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
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45
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Zhang D, Wang G, Yu X, Wei T, Farbiak L, Johnson LT, Taylor AM, Xu J, Hong Y, Zhu H, Siegwart DJ. Enhancing CRISPR/Cas gene editing through modulating cellular mechanical properties for cancer therapy. NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY 2022; 17:777-787. [PMID: 35551240 PMCID: PMC9931497 DOI: 10.1038/s41565-022-01122-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2020] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
Genome editing holds great potential for cancer treatment due to the ability to precisely inactivate or repair cancer-related genes. However, delivery of CRISPR/Cas to solid tumours for efficient cancer therapy remains challenging. Here we targeted tumour tissue mechanics via a multiplexed dendrimer lipid nanoparticle (LNP) approach involving co-delivery of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) siRNA, Cas9 mRNA and sgRNA (siFAK + CRISPR-LNPs) to enable tumour delivery and enhance gene-editing efficacy. We show that gene editing was enhanced >10-fold in tumour spheroids due to increased cellular uptake and tumour penetration of nanoparticles mediated by FAK-knockdown. siFAK + CRISPR-PD-L1-LNPs reduced extracellular matrix stiffness and efficiently disrupted PD-L1 expression by CRISPR/Cas gene editing, which significantly inhibited tumour growth and metastasis in four mouse models of cancer. Overall, we provide evidence that modulating the stiffness of tumour tissue can enhance gene editing in tumours, which offers a new strategy for synergistic LNPs and other nanoparticle systems to treat cancer using gene editing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Di Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry, Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Guoxun Wang
- Department of Immunology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Xueliang Yu
- Department of Biochemistry, Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Tuo Wei
- Department of Biochemistry, Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Lukas Farbiak
- Department of Biochemistry, Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Lindsay T Johnson
- Department of Biochemistry, Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Alan Mark Taylor
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
| | - Jiazhu Xu
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
| | - Yi Hong
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX, USA
| | - Hao Zhu
- Children's Research Institute, Departments of Pediatrics and Internal Medicine, Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine, Children's Research Institute Mouse Genome Engineering Core, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - Daniel J Siegwart
- Department of Biochemistry, Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA.
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Paddillaya N, Ingale K, Gaikwad C, Saini DK, Pullarkat P, Kondaiah P, Menon GI, Gundiah N. Cell adhesion strength and tractions are mechano-diagnostic features of cellular invasiveness. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:4378-4388. [PMID: 35611829 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm00015f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The adhesion of cells to substrates occurs via integrin clustering and binding to the actin cytoskeleton. Oncogenes modify anchorage-dependent mechanisms in cells during cancer progression. Fluid shear devices provide a label-free way to characterize cell-substrate interactions and heterogeneities in cell populations. We quantified the critical adhesion strengths of MCF-7, MDAMB-231, A549, HPL1D, HeLa, and NIH3T3 cells using a custom fluid shear device. The detachment response was sigmoidal for each cell type. A549 and MDAMB-231 cells had significantly lower critical adhesion strengths (τ50) than their non-invasive counterparts, HPL1D and MCF-7. Detachment dynamics inversely correlated with cell invasion potentials. A theoretical model, based on τ50 values and the distribution of cell areas on substrates, provided good fits to results from de-adhesion experiments. Quantification of cell tractions, using the Reg-FTTC method on 10 kPa polyacrylamide gels, showed highest values for invasive, MDAMB-231 and A549, cells compared to non-invasive cells. Immunofluorescence studies show differences in vinculin distributions; non-invasive cells have distinct vinculin puncta, whereas invasive cells have more dispersed distributions. The cytoskeleton in non-invasive cells was devoid of well-developed stress fibers, and had thicker cortical actin bundles in the boundary. Fluorescence intensity of actin was significantly lower in invasive cells as compared to non invasive cells. These correlations in adhesion strengths and traction stresses with cell invasiveness may be useful in cancer diagnostics and other pathologies featuring mis-regulation in adhesion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neha Paddillaya
- Centre for Biosystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
| | - Kalyani Ingale
- Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India.
| | - Chaitanya Gaikwad
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
| | - Deepak Kumar Saini
- Centre for Biosystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
- Department of Molecular Reproduction, Development and Genetics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
| | - Pramod Pullarkat
- Soft Condensed Matter Group, Raman Research Institute, Bangalore, India
| | - Paturu Kondaiah
- Department of Molecular Reproduction, Development and Genetics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
| | - Gautam I Menon
- The Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai, India
- Departments of Physics and Biology, Ashoka University, Sonepat, India
| | - Namrata Gundiah
- Centre for Biosystems Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
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Luthold C, Hallal T, Labbé DP, Bordeleau F. The Extracellular Matrix Stiffening: A Trigger of Prostate Cancer Progression and Castration Resistance? Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14122887. [PMID: 35740556 PMCID: PMC9221142 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14122887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2022] [Revised: 06/07/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite advancements made in diagnosis and treatment, prostate cancer remains the second most diagnosed cancer among men worldwide in 2020, and the first in North America and Europe. Patients with localized disease usually respond well to first-line treatments, however, up to 30% develop castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), which is often metastatic, making this stage of the disease incurable and ultimately fatal. Over the last years, interest has grown into the extracellular matrix (ECM) stiffening as an important mediator of diseases, including cancers. While this process is increasingly well-characterized in breast cancer, a similar in-depth look at ECM stiffening remains lacking for prostate cancer. In this review, we scrutinize the current state of literature regarding ECM stiffening in prostate cancer and its potential association with disease progression and castration resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carole Luthold
- Centre de Recherche sur le Cancer, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1R 3S3, Canada;
- Division of Oncology, Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Hôtel-Dieu de Québec, Québec, QC G1R 3S3, Canada
| | - Tarek Hallal
- Cancer Research Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montréal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada;
| | - David P. Labbé
- Cancer Research Program, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montréal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada;
- Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, McGill University, Montréal, QC H4A 3J1, Canada
- Correspondence: (D.P.L.); (F.B.)
| | - François Bordeleau
- Centre de Recherche sur le Cancer, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1R 3S3, Canada;
- Division of Oncology, Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Hôtel-Dieu de Québec, Québec, QC G1R 3S3, Canada
- Département de Biologie Moléculaire, Biochimie Médicale et Pathologie, Faculté de Médecine, Université Laval, Québec, QC G1V 0A6, Canada
- Correspondence: (D.P.L.); (F.B.)
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48
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Physical Forces in Glioblastoma Migration: A Systematic Review. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23074055. [PMID: 35409420 PMCID: PMC9000211 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23074055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Revised: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The invasive capabilities of glioblastoma (GBM) define the cancer’s aggressiveness, treatment resistance, and overall mortality. The tumor microenvironment influences the molecular behavior of cells, both epigenetically and genetically. Current forces being studied include properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM), such as stiffness and “sensing” capabilities. There is currently limited data on the physical forces in GBM—both relating to how they influence their environment and how their environment influences them. This review outlines the advances that have been made in the field. It is our hope that further investigation of the physical forces involved in GBM will highlight new therapeutic options and increase patient survival. A search of the PubMed database was conducted through to 23 March 2022 with the following search terms: (glioblastoma) AND (physical forces OR pressure OR shear forces OR compression OR tension OR torsion) AND (migration OR invasion). Our review yielded 11 external/applied/mechanical forces and 2 tumor microenvironment (TME) forces that affect the ability of GBM to locally migrate and invade. Both external forces and forces within the tumor microenvironment have been implicated in GBM migration, invasion, and treatment resistance. We endorse further research in this area to target the physical forces affecting the migration and invasion of GBM.
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Tulchinsky M, Weihs D. Computational modeling reveals a vital role for proximity-driven additive and synergistic cell-cell interactions in increasing cancer invasiveness. Acta Biomater 2022; 163:392-399. [PMID: 35367632 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2022.03.048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2021] [Revised: 02/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Solid-tumor cell invasion typically occurs by collective migration of attached cell-cohorts, yet we show here that indirect cell-interactions through the substrate can also drive invasiveness. We have previously shown that well-spaced, invasive cancer cells push-into and indent gels to depths of 10 µm, while closely adjacent, non-contacting cancer cells may reach up to 18 µm, potentially relying on cell-cell interactions through the gel-substrate. To test that, we developed finite element models of indenting cells, using experimental gel mechanics, cell mechanostructure, and force magnitudes. We show that under 50-350 nN of combined traction and normal forces, a stiff nucleus-region is essential in facilitating 5-10 µm single-cell indentations, while uniformly soft cells attain 1.6-fold smaller indentations. We observe that indentation depths of cells in close proximity (0.5-50 µm distance) increase relative to well-spaced cells, due to additive, continuum mechanics-driven contributions. Specifically, 2-3 cells applying 220 nN normal forces gained up to 3% in depth, which interestingly increased to 7.8% when two cells, 10 µm apart, applied unequal force-magnitudes (i.e., 220 and 350 nN). Such additive, energy-free contributions can reduce cell mechanical energy -output required for invasiveness, yet the experimentally observed 10-18 µm depths likely necessitate synergistic, mechanobiological changes, which may be mechanically triggered. We note that nucleus stiffening or cytoplasm softening by 25-50% increased indentation depths by only 1-7%, while depths increase nearly linearly with force-magnitude even to two-fold levels. Hence, cell-proximity triggered, synergistic and additive cell-interactions through the substrate can drive collective cancer-cell invasiveness, even without direct cell-cell interactions. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Metastatic cancer invasion typically occurs collectively in attached cell-cohorts. We have previously shown increased invasiveness in closely adjacent cancer cells that are able to push-into and indent soft-gels more deeply than single, well-spaced cells. Using finite element models, we reveal mechanisms of cell-proximity driven invasiveness, demonstrating an important role for the stiff nucleus. Cell-proximity can additively induce small increase in indentation depth via continuum mechanics contributions, especially when adjacent cells apply unequal forces, and without requiring increased cell-mechanical-energy-output. Concurrently, proximity-triggered synergistic interactions that produce changes in cell mechanics or capacity for increased force-levels can facilitate deep invasive-indentations. Thus, we reveal concurrent additive and synergistic mechanisms to drive collective cancer-cell invasiveness even without direct cell-cell interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Tulchinsky
- Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
| | - Daphne Weihs
- Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel.
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50
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Zancla A, Mozetic P, Orsini M, Forte G, Rainer A. A primer to traction force microscopy. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:101867. [PMID: 35351517 PMCID: PMC9092999 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.101867] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2021] [Revised: 03/08/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Traction force microscopy (TFM) has emerged as a versatile technique for the measurement of single-cell-generated forces. TFM has gained wide use among mechanobiology laboratories, and several variants of the original methodology have been proposed. However, issues related to the experimental setup and, most importantly, data analysis of cell traction datasets may restrain the adoption of TFM by a wider community. In this review, we summarize the state of the art in TFM-related research, with a focus on the analytical methods underlying data analysis. We aim to provide the reader with a friendly compendium underlying the potential of TFM and emphasizing the methodological framework required for a thorough understanding of experimental data. We also compile a list of data analytics tools freely available to the scientific community for the furtherance of knowledge on this powerful technique.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Zancla
- Department of Engineering, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Rome, Italy; Department of Engineering, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Pamela Mozetic
- Institute of Nanotechnology (NANOTEC), National Research Council, Lecce, Italy; Division of Neuroscience, Institute of Experimental Neurology, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
| | - Monica Orsini
- Department of Engineering, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Rome, Italy
| | - Giancarlo Forte
- Center for Translational Medicine (CTM), International Clinical Research Center (ICRC), St Anne's University Hospital, Brno, Czechia.
| | - Alberto Rainer
- Department of Engineering, Università Campus Bio-Medico di Roma, Rome, Italy; Institute of Nanotechnology (NANOTEC), National Research Council, Lecce, Italy.
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