ArticleIntegrative biology : quantitative biosciences from nano to macro2011
Collective epithelial cell invasion overcomes mechanical barriers of collagenous extracellular matrix by a narrow tube-like geometry and MMP14-dependent local softening.
Article in Integrative biology : quantitative biosciences from nano to macro, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 33 papers.
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Who cites it
33 citing papers in PubMed.
- Turning resistance into therapeutic vulnerability: Mechano-reprogramming in cancer.Mechanobiology in medicine · 2026Article
- ARHGAP20 organizes spatial Rap1-RhoA signaling coordination controlling adhesion dynamics during migration.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Extracellular Matrix Viscoelasticity Regulates Mammary Branching Morphogenesis.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Review
- Matrix degradation enhances stress relaxation, regulating cell adhesion and spreading.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Degradability tunes ECM stress relaxation and cellular mechanics.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2024Article
- What are the key mechanical mechanisms governing integrin-mediated cell migration in three-dimensional fiber networks?Biomechanics and modeling in mechanobiology · 2023Article
- REVIEW ARTICLE Engineering bio-inks for 3D bioprinting cell mechanical microenvironment.International journal of bioprinting · 2023Article
- Actomyosin contractility requirements and reciprocal cell-tissue mechanics for cancer cell invasion through collagen-based channels.The European physical journal. E, Soft matter · 2022Article
- A computational framework for modeling cell-matrix interactions in soft biological tissues.Biomechanics and modeling in mechanobiology · 2021Article
- Surface-tension-induced budding drives alveologenesis in human mammary gland organoids.Nature physics · 2021Article
- Dynamic Expression of Membrane Type 1-Matrix Metalloproteinase (Mt1-mmp/Mmp14) in the Mouse Embryo.Cells · 2021Article
- Mechanical homeostasis in tissue equivalents: a review.Biomechanics and modeling in mechanobiology · 2021Review
- Engineered extracellular matrices: emerging strategies for decoupling structural and molecular signals that regulate epithelial branching morphogenesis.Current opinion in biomedical engineering · 2020Article
- Iduronate-2-Sulfatase-Regulated Dermatan Sulfate Levels Potentiate the Invasion of Breast Cancer Epithelia through Collagen Matrix.Journal of clinical medicine · 2019Article
- Dual role of E-cadherin in the regulation of invasive collective migration of mammary carcinoma cells.Scientific reports · 2018Article
- Epithelial contribution to the profibrotic stiff microenvironment and myofibroblast population in lung fibrosis.Molecular biology of the cell · 2017Article
- Dysregulated Collagen Homeostasis by Matrix Stiffening and TGF-β1 in Fibroblasts from Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Patients: Role of FAK/Akt.International journal of molecular sciences · 2017Article
- Building branched tissue structures: from single cell guidance to coordinated construction.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2017Review
- Three-dimensional collagen matrix induces a mechanosensitive invasive epithelial phenotype.Scientific reports · 2017Article
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6 authors.
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Abstract
Collective cell invasion (CCI) through interstitial collagenous extracellular matrix (ECM) is crucial to the initial stages of branching morphogenesis, and a hallmark of tissue repair and dissemination of certain tumors. The collagenous ECM acts as a mechanical barrier against CCI. However, the physical nature of this barrier and how it is overcome by cells remains incompletely understood. To address these questions, we performed theoretical and experimental analysis of mammary epithelial branching morphogenesis in 3D type I collagen (collagen-I) gels. We found that the mechanical resistance of collagen-I is largely due to its elastic rather than its viscous properties. We also identified two strategies utilized by mammary epithelial cells that can independently minimize ECM mechanical resistance during CCI. First, cells adopt a narrow tube-like geometry during invasion, which minimizes the elastic opposition from the ECM as revealed by theoretical modeling of the most frequent invasive shapes and sizes. Second, the stiffness of the collagenous ECM is reduced at invasive fronts due to its degradation by matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), as indicated by direct measurements of collagen-I microelasticity by atomic force microscopy. Molecular techniques further specified that the membrane-bound MMP14 mediates degradation of collagen-I at invasive fronts. Thus, our findings reveal that MMP14 is necessary to efficiently reduce the physical restraints imposed by collagen-I during branching morphogenesis, and help our overall understanding of how forces are balanced between cells and their surrounding ECM to maintain collective geometry and mechanical stability during CCI.
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