Insights into the mechanisms, regulation, and therapeutic implications of extracellular matrix stiffness in cancer
Abstract The tumor microenvironment (TME) is critical for cancer initiation, growth, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance. The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a significant tumor component that serves various functions, including mechanical support, TME regulation, and signal molecule generation. Th...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | Bioengineering & Translational Medicine |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/btm2.10698 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850082774770253824 |
|---|---|
| author | Ximo Zhang Abdullah Al‐Danakh Xinqing Zhu Dan Feng Linlin Yang Haotian Wu Yingying Li Shujing Wang Qiwei Chen Deyong Yang |
| author_facet | Ximo Zhang Abdullah Al‐Danakh Xinqing Zhu Dan Feng Linlin Yang Haotian Wu Yingying Li Shujing Wang Qiwei Chen Deyong Yang |
| author_sort | Ximo Zhang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The tumor microenvironment (TME) is critical for cancer initiation, growth, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance. The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a significant tumor component that serves various functions, including mechanical support, TME regulation, and signal molecule generation. The quantity and cross‐linking status of ECM components are crucial factors in tumor development, as they determine tissue stiffness and the interaction between stiff TME and cancer cells, resulting in aberrant mechanotransduction, proliferation, migration, invasion, angiogenesis, immune evasion, and treatment resistance. Therefore, broad knowledge of ECM dysregulation in the TME might aid in developing innovative cancer therapies. This review summarized the available information on major ECM components, their functions, factors that increase and decrease matrix stiffness, and related signaling pathways that interplay between cancer cells and the ECM in TME. Moreover, mechanotransduction alters during tumorogenesis, and current drug therapy based on ECM as targets, as well as future efforts in ECM and cancer, are also discussed. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-afe35e7813d64ed4874aab92f5334826 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2380-6761 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Bioengineering & Translational Medicine |
| spelling | doaj-art-afe35e7813d64ed4874aab92f53348262025-08-20T02:44:27ZengWileyBioengineering & Translational Medicine2380-67612025-01-01101n/an/a10.1002/btm2.10698Insights into the mechanisms, regulation, and therapeutic implications of extracellular matrix stiffness in cancerXimo Zhang0Abdullah Al‐Danakh1Xinqing Zhu2Dan Feng3Linlin Yang4Haotian Wu5Yingying Li6Shujing Wang7Qiwei Chen8Deyong Yang9Department of Urology First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University Dalian ChinaDepartment of Urology First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University Dalian ChinaDepartment of Urology First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University Dalian ChinaDepartment of Urology First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University Dalian ChinaDepartment of Urology First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University Dalian ChinaDepartment of Urology First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University Dalian ChinaDepartment of Discipline Construction Dalian Medical University Dalian ChinaDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Institute of Glycobiology Dalian Medical University Dalian ChinaDepartment of Urology First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University Dalian ChinaDepartment of Urology First Affiliated Hospital of Dalian Medical University Dalian ChinaAbstract The tumor microenvironment (TME) is critical for cancer initiation, growth, metastasis, and therapeutic resistance. The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a significant tumor component that serves various functions, including mechanical support, TME regulation, and signal molecule generation. The quantity and cross‐linking status of ECM components are crucial factors in tumor development, as they determine tissue stiffness and the interaction between stiff TME and cancer cells, resulting in aberrant mechanotransduction, proliferation, migration, invasion, angiogenesis, immune evasion, and treatment resistance. Therefore, broad knowledge of ECM dysregulation in the TME might aid in developing innovative cancer therapies. This review summarized the available information on major ECM components, their functions, factors that increase and decrease matrix stiffness, and related signaling pathways that interplay between cancer cells and the ECM in TME. Moreover, mechanotransduction alters during tumorogenesis, and current drug therapy based on ECM as targets, as well as future efforts in ECM and cancer, are also discussed.https://doi.org/10.1002/btm2.10698cancerECM stiffnessextracellular matrixsignaling pathwaystargeted therapytumor microenvironment |
| spellingShingle | Ximo Zhang Abdullah Al‐Danakh Xinqing Zhu Dan Feng Linlin Yang Haotian Wu Yingying Li Shujing Wang Qiwei Chen Deyong Yang Insights into the mechanisms, regulation, and therapeutic implications of extracellular matrix stiffness in cancer Bioengineering & Translational Medicine cancer ECM stiffness extracellular matrix signaling pathways targeted therapy tumor microenvironment |
| title | Insights into the mechanisms, regulation, and therapeutic implications of extracellular matrix stiffness in cancer |
| title_full | Insights into the mechanisms, regulation, and therapeutic implications of extracellular matrix stiffness in cancer |
| title_fullStr | Insights into the mechanisms, regulation, and therapeutic implications of extracellular matrix stiffness in cancer |
| title_full_unstemmed | Insights into the mechanisms, regulation, and therapeutic implications of extracellular matrix stiffness in cancer |
| title_short | Insights into the mechanisms, regulation, and therapeutic implications of extracellular matrix stiffness in cancer |
| title_sort | insights into the mechanisms regulation and therapeutic implications of extracellular matrix stiffness in cancer |
| topic | cancer ECM stiffness extracellular matrix signaling pathways targeted therapy tumor microenvironment |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/btm2.10698 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ximozhang insightsintothemechanismsregulationandtherapeuticimplicationsofextracellularmatrixstiffnessincancer AT abdullahaldanakh insightsintothemechanismsregulationandtherapeuticimplicationsofextracellularmatrixstiffnessincancer AT xinqingzhu insightsintothemechanismsregulationandtherapeuticimplicationsofextracellularmatrixstiffnessincancer AT danfeng insightsintothemechanismsregulationandtherapeuticimplicationsofextracellularmatrixstiffnessincancer AT linlinyang insightsintothemechanismsregulationandtherapeuticimplicationsofextracellularmatrixstiffnessincancer AT haotianwu insightsintothemechanismsregulationandtherapeuticimplicationsofextracellularmatrixstiffnessincancer AT yingyingli insightsintothemechanismsregulationandtherapeuticimplicationsofextracellularmatrixstiffnessincancer AT shujingwang insightsintothemechanismsregulationandtherapeuticimplicationsofextracellularmatrixstiffnessincancer AT qiweichen insightsintothemechanismsregulationandtherapeuticimplicationsofextracellularmatrixstiffnessincancer AT deyongyang insightsintothemechanismsregulationandtherapeuticimplicationsofextracellularmatrixstiffnessincancer |