ArticleScientific reports2017
Cancer-associated fibroblasts support vascular growth through mechanical force.
Article in Scientific reports, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 71 papers.
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Who cites it
71 citing papers in PubMed, 117 citations in OpenAlex.
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- Immortalized smooth muscle cells enhance in vitro vasculogenesis.Research square · 2026Article
- ISPAT-3D: Spatially Varying Conditional Volumetric Network Estimation for 3D Tumor Imaging.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Allogeneic Immune Cell Perfusion Inhibits the Growth of Vascularized 3D In Vitro Tumor Models, Induces Vascular Regression and Desmoplasia, but Promotes Tumor Cell Invasion.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026Article
- Mechanotransduction-Induced Gene Expression Reveals Activation of TGFβ/SKIL/TAZ Axis and Supports Invasive Phenotype in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Article
- Methods to Identify and Validate Therapeutic Targets Against Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma.Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) · 2026Article
- Preoperative prediction of breast cancer Ki-67 status via multimodal ultrasound-clinical nomogram: a single-center study.Translational cancer research · 2025Article
- Cell-mediated matrix deformations and cell-cell adhesions determine epithelial collective cell migration phenotypes.APL bioengineering · 2025Article
- Bioengineering Stem Cell-Derived Glioblastoma Organoids: A Comprehensive Review.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Integrated spatial proteomic analysis of breast cancer heterogeneity unravels cancer cell phenotypic plasticity.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Strain Promotes Triple Negative Breast Cancer Proliferation and Migration Via VEGFR-2.Cellular and molecular bioengineering · 2025Article
- Extracellular Vesicles in cancer: from isolation and characterization to metastasis, drug resistance, and clinical applications.BMC cancer · 2025Review
- The fibroinflammatory response in cancer.Nature reviews. Cancer · 2025Review
- Cancer-associated fibroblasts gene signature: a novel approach to survival prediction and immunotherapy guidance in colon cancer.Frontiers in immunology · 2025Article
- Strain and hyaluronic acid interact to regulate ovarian cancer cell proliferation, migration, and drug resistance.Mechanobiology in medicine · 2024Article
- 3D bioprinted breast cancer model reveals stroma-mediated modulation of extracellular matrix and radiosensitivity.Bioactive materials · 2024Article
- CAFs vs. TECs: when blood feuds fuel cancer progression, dissemination and therapeutic resistance.Cellular oncology (Dordrecht, Netherlands) · 2024Review
- From complexity to clarity: unravelling tumor heterogeneity through the lens of tumor microenvironment for innovative cancer therapy.Histochemistry and cell biology · 2024Review
- Differential roles of normal and lung cancer-associated fibroblasts in microvascular network formation.APL bioengineering · 2024Article
11 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
The role of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) as regulators of tumor progression, specifically vascular growth, has only recently been described. CAFs are thought to be more mechanically active but how this trait may alter the tumor microenvironment is poorly understood. We hypothesized that enhanced mechanical activity of CAFs, as regulated by the Rho/ROCK pathway, contributes to increased blood vessel growth. Using a 3D in vitro tissue model of vasculogenesis, we observed increased vascularization in the presence of breast cancer CAFs compared to normal breast fibroblasts. Further studies indicated this phenomenon was not simply a result of enhanced soluble signaling factors, including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and that CAFs generated significantly larger deformations in 3D gels compared to normal fibroblasts. Inhibition of the mechanotransductive pathways abrogated the ability of CAFs to deform the matrix and suppressed vascularization. Finally, utilizing magnetic microbeads to mechanically stimulate mechanically-inhibited CAFs showed partial rescue of vascularization. Our studies demonstrate enhanced mechanical activity of CAFs may play a crucial and previously unappreciated role in the formation of tumor-associated vasculature which could possibly offer potential novel targets in future anti-cancer therapies.
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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.