ArticlePloS one2015
RETRACTED: Optimum 3D Matrix Stiffness for Maintenance of Cancer Stem Cells Is Dependent on Tissue Origin of Cancer Cells.
Article in PloS one, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It has been retracted, and should not be counted. Cited by 74 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
74 citing papers in PubMed, 130 citations in OpenAlex.
- Cellular mechanometabolism: stimuli and implications.EMBO reports · 2026Review
- A 3D Bioprinted Spheroid-Laden dECM-Enriched Osteosarcoma Model for Enhanced Drug Testing and Therapeutic Discovery.Advanced healthcare materials · 2026Article
- The Stiff Side of Cancer: How Matrix Mechanics Rewrites Non-Coding RNA Expression Programs.Non-coding RNA · 2026Review
- Gelatin-methacryloyl hydrogel stiffness influences epithelial-mesenchymal transition in MCF7 but not MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells in 3D culture.Biology open · 2026Article
- Tailorable porous collagen hydrogels as a physiologically relevant platform for extrachromosomal DNA-associated colorectal cancer research.Theranostics · 2026Article
- Retraction: Optimum 3D Matrix Stiffness for Maintenance of Cancer Stem Cells Is Dependent on Tissue Origin of Cancer Cells.PloS one · 2026Article
- Advancement in Scaffold-Based 3D Cell Culture Models for Osteosarcoma Drug Screening.ACS biomaterials science & engineering · 2025Review
- Impact of scaffold material choice on osteosarcoma phenotype and drug responses in 3D.Acta biomaterialia · 2025Article
- Exploring bone-tumor interactions through 3DJournal of bone oncology · 2025Review
- 3D-printed β-TCP scaffold as a bone-mimicking environment for an engineered model of osteosarcoma:Materials today. Bio · 2025Article
- Microenvironment matters: insights from the FOSTER consortium on microenvironment-driven approaches to osteosarcoma therapy.Cancer metastasis reviews · 2025Review
- Tissue stiffness heterogeneity in the jaw and temporomandibular joint: its impact on tumor metabolism and considerations forFrontiers in physiology · 2025Review
- Review
- Engineered Biomaterials and Model Systems to Study YAP/TAZ in Cancer.ACS biomaterials science & engineering · 2024Review
- Developing New Peptides and Peptide-Drug Conjugates for Targeting the FGFR2 Receptor-Expressing Tumor Cells and 3D Spheroids.Biomimetics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Cellular memory function from 3D to 2D: Three-dimensional high density collagen microfiber cultures induce their resistance to reactive oxygen species.Materials today. Bio · 2024Article
- Biomechanical Aspects in Bone Tumor Engineering.Tissue engineering. Part B, Reviews · 2024Review
- Bioengineered in vitro three-dimensional tumor models in endocrine cancers.Endocrine-related cancer · 2024Review
- Effect of Matrix Stiffness and Hepatocyte Growth Factor on Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells in Decellularized Extracellular Matrix-Based Hydrogels.Macromolecular bioscience · 2024Article
- Article
14 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Retraction · 2026-05-28Concerns/Issues about Image · Duplication of/in Image · Euphemisms for Duplication · Investigation by Journal/Publisher · Investigation by Third Party · Objections by Author(s) · Unreliable Results and/or Conclusions · · See also: https://pubpeer.com/publications/207B78DA08C2722D861F930934ADD3
- Retracted
Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
introductionThe growth and expression of cancer stem cells (CSCs) depend on many factors in the tumor microenvironment. The objective of this work was to investigate the effect of cancer cells' tissue origin on the optimum matrix stiffness for CSC growth and marker expression in a model polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogel without the interference of other factors in the microenvironment.
methodsHuman MCF7 and MDA-MB-231 breast carcinoma, HCT116 colorectal and AGS gastric carcinoma, and U2OS osteosarcoma cells were used. The cells were encapsulated in PEGDA gels with compressive moduli in the 2-70 kPa range and optimized cell seeding density of 0.6x106 cells/mL. Micropatterning was used to optimize the growth of encapsulated cells with respect to average tumorsphere size. The CSC sub-population of the encapsulated cells was characterized by cell number, tumorsphere size and number density, and mRNA expression of CSC markers.
resultsThe optimum matrix stiffness for growth and marker expression of CSC sub-population of cancer cells was 5 kPa for breast MCF7 and MDA231, 25 kPa for colorectal HCT116 and gastric AGS, and 50 kPa for bone U2OS cells. Conjugation of a CD44 binding peptide to the gel stopped tumorsphere formation by cancer cells from different tissue origin. The expression of YAP/TAZ transcription factors by the encapsulated cancer cells was highest at the optimum stiffness indicating a link between the Hippo transducers and CSC growth. The optimum average tumorsphere size for CSC growth and marker expression was 50 μm.
conclusionThe marker expression results suggest that the CSC sub-population of cancer cells resides within a niche with optimum stiffness which depends on the cancer cells' tissue origin.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.