posted on 2020-07-30, 19:44authored bySisi Liu, Xiaoan Wu, Yang Yu, Xiongwei Wen, Zhang Yu, Xi-Qiao Feng, Hucheng Zhao
Cancer stem cells
(CSCs) play a critical role in the cancer metastasis
and account for tumor heterogeneity. Growing evidence indicates that
the CSC phenotypes are related to the tumor microenvironment. In this
study, we report that the gradient of mechanical stresses guides the
spatial patterning of the expression of CD44 and Yes-associated protein
(YAP) in the geometrically confined multicellular sheets. Our study
shows that the cytoskeletal contraction regulates the expression of
CD44 through the translocation of YAP into the nucleus. The results
demonstrate that geometric confinement and mechanical stresses are
the regulators in the spatial patterning of CSC. It may help to understand
the relationship between the tumor microenvironment and oncogenesis.