Tumor Cell Invasion.
Fibroblast migration
Promoted by Interstitial Flow-Induced Matrix Priming by Stromal Fibroblasts.
The group of Prof. Melody Swartz (LLCB - Laboratory of Lymphatic and Cancer Bioengineering) propose a model in which interstitial flow promotes fibroblast migration through increased TGF-beta1 activation and collagen degradation, positioning fibroblasts to locally reorganize collagen fibers via Rho-dependent contractility, in turn enhancing tumor cell invasion via mechanotactic cues. This represents a novel mechanism in which interstitial flow causes fibroblast mediated stromal remodeling that facilitates tumor invasion.
Adrian C. Shieh et al., Cancer Research, DOI:10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-10-1513 (2011)