Hypoxia Modulates Membrane Mechanics in Pancreatic Cancer

Aggressive cancer cells such as pancreatic cells exhibit an enhanced metastatic phenotype that involves cell migration and invasion. Cellular membrane deformation is a key process implicit in cell movement. This implicates a link between altered lipid metabolism during cancer progression and modulated membrane properties and hence associated functions. One of the key factors underlying the aggressiveness of pancreatic cancer is the presence of the highest percentage of hypoxia, which further adds to the lipid metabolic reprogramming. The subsequent effect of hypoxia-induced lipidome changes on membrane properties governing cell movement was investigated in this work using a combination of cell biology, microscopy, and spectroscopy. Our findings revealed that hypoxia induces distinct lipidome signatures in a cell-line-dependent fashion, which in turn differentially modulates the cell membrane stiffness. The correlation of cell stiffness with other membrane properties and the actin cytoskeleton shows a random correlation indicating that hypoxic stress distinctly regulates specific membrane attributes governing cellular functioning and should be consulted for the development of effective treatments for pancreatic cancer.