Tumor stiffness extends its grip on the metastatic microenvironment

Abstract

The increased stiffness of a tumor triggers a multitude of responses that aid cancer cell dissemination. Stiffness-induced expression of CCN1 mediates autocrine signaling in the endothelium to upregulate N-Cadherin levels. This permits more stable interactions with cancer cells and increases their ability to spread into the circulation.

Keywords

• cyr61/ccn1; blood vessels; stiffness; cancer metastasis; proteomics