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08:48
Polyacrylamide Gels for Invadopodia and Traction Force Assays on Cancer Cells
Published on: January 4, 2015
Matrix rigidity regulates cancer cell growth and cellular phenotype
Robert W Tilghman1, Catharine R Cowan, Justin D Mih
1Department of Microbiology and Cancer Center, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, United States of America.
Plos One
|October 2, 2010
Summary
Cancer cells respond to the stiffness of their environment. Cell growth and spread in vivo correlate with how cells grow on soft or stiff materials in vitro, impacting cancer progression.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Cancer Biology
- Cellular Mechanics
Background:
- Extracellular matrix (ECM) mechanical properties influence cell growth and differentiation.
- The specific responses of cancer cells to microenvironment stiffness and variations among cell lines are not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how cancer cells respond to varying extracellular matrix rigidity.
- To categorize cancer cell lines based on their proliferation in response to substrate stiffness.
- To correlate in vitro findings with in vivo tumor growth and cell behavior.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a novel 96-well plate system with arrays of extracellular matrix-conjugated polyacrylamide gels of increasing stiffness (over 50-fold range).
- Assessed cancer cell proliferation, spreading, and migration on substrates with defined mechanical properties.
- Evaluated in vivo tumor growth in nude mice by seeding cell lines into the lungs.
Main Results:
- Cancer cell lines were classified as 'rigidity dependent' (proliferating more on stiffer substrates) or 'rigidity independent'.
- Poor growth on soft gels correlated with decreased cell spreading and migration.
- In vivo lung colonization ability in mice correlated with in vitro growth on soft gels.
- Lung carcinoma A549 cells showed E-cadherin expression and decreased Slug expression on soft gels, indicating differentiation.
Conclusions:
- The mechanical properties of the cellular microenvironment significantly regulate cancer cell proliferation and morphology.
- The soft-plate assay is a valuable tool for studying cancer cell behavior in response to matrix stiffness, complementing existing 3D models.
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