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Tumor Matrix Stiffness Provides Fertile Soil For Cancer Stem Cells, Sadegh Safaei, Roya Sajed, Ahmad Shariftabrizi, Shima Dorafshan, Leili Saeednejad Zanjani, Masoumeh Dehghan Manshadi, Zahra Madjd, Roya Ghods

Kimmel Cancer Center Papers, Presentations, and Grand Rounds

Matrix stiffness is a mechanical characteristic of the extracellular matrix (ECM) that increases from the tumor core to the tumor periphery in a gradient pattern in a variety of solid tumors and can promote proliferation, invasion, metastasis, drug resistance, and recurrence. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a rare subpopulation of tumor cells with self-renewal, asymmetric cell division, and differentiation capabilities. CSCs are thought to be responsible for metastasis, tumor recurrence, chemotherapy resistance, and consequently poor clinical outcomes. Evidence suggests that matrix stiffness can activate receptors and mechanosensor/mechanoregulator proteins such as integrin, FAK, and YAP, modulating the characteristics of tumor cells …