Concepts of extracellular matrix remodelling in tumour progression and metastasis

By Juliane Winkler, A. Abisoye-Ogunniyan, K. J. Metcalf, Zena Werb. Nature Communications, 2020

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Tissues are dynamically shaped by bidirectional communication between resident cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM) through cell-matrix interactions and ECM remodelling. Tumours leverage ECM remodelling to create a microenvironment that promotes tumourigenesis and metastasis. In this review, we focus on how tumour and tumour-associated stromal cells deposit, biochemically and biophysically modify, and degrade tumour-associated ECM. These tumour-driven changes support tumour growth, increase migration of tumour cells, and remodel the ECM in distant organs to allow for metastatic progression. A better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of tumourigenic ECM remodelling is crucial for developing therapeutic treatments for patients. Tumors are more than cancer cells — the extracellular matrix is a protein structure that organizes all tissues and is altered in cancer. Here, the authors review recent progress in understanding how the cancer cells and tumor-associated stroma cells remodel the extracellular matrix to drive tumor growth and metastasis.

Subfields: Biomedical Engineering, Cell Biology, Oncology

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/49d8145a2890faeef626a5115c8f01667af2d1e6