Glycoconjugates found to drive mammary tumor viscoelasticity independently of stiffness
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A bioRxiv preprint reports that in the MMTV-PyMT mouse model of breast cancer, accumulating glycoconjugates raise tissue viscoelasticity during tumor progression, and that this property decouples from stiffness in late carcinoma. Using spatial microindentation, the researchers showed that selectively degrading sulfated glycosaminoglycans, mucins, or O/N-linked glycans each lowered viscoelasticity without altering stiffness. In vitro, raising matrix viscoelasticity pushed MCF10A epithelial cells toward a malignant phenotype through FAK mechanosignaling. The authors argue viscoelasticity is an independent mechanical feature of breast cancer progression and offer their measurements as a benchmark for engineered tumor models. The work is a preprint and has not yet undergone peer review.
Written by a model from the reports · updated 1 day ago
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- biorxiv.orgGlycoconjugates tune the viscoelastic signature of mammary tumor progression
This preprint reports that in the MMTV-PyMT mouse model, accumulation of glycoconjugates drives increased viscoelasticity during mammary tumor progression. Spatial microindentation shows that coupling between stiffness and viscoelasticity weakens in late carcinoma; selective enzymatic degradation of sulfated glycosaminoglycans, mucins, or O/N-linked glycans each reduces viscoelasticity without changing stiffness. In vitro, increasing matrix viscoelasticity drove MCF10A epithelial cells toward a malignant phenotype through FAK mechanosignaling. The authors propose viscoelasticity as an independent mechanical feature of breast cancer progression and provide a benchmark for replication in engineered models.
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