'Definition of the mechanisms sensing viscosity in pancreatic cancer'

"The behaviour of cells is determined by how they interpret their genetic and epigenetic programming in the context of signals from their surroundings. These environmental cues are often chemical, but recent work has shown the importance of mechanical stimulation in driving responses to cell morphology, metabolism, motility, proliferation and commitment to lineage.

More recently, variations in viscosity of the extracellular environment, as well as its rigidity, have been demonstrated to modulate cell signalling and alter phenotypic responses. However, very little is known about the mechanisms of viscosity sensing. Cells sense the mechanical properties of their environment through integrin adhesion receptors that bind and pull against components of the extracellular matrix (ECM).

The modulated response to ECM stiffness, and its maintenance at the appropriate level, is essential for tissue health. The ECM is also central to many disease processes, and the aberrantly stiff, fibrotic environment of many cancers has been shown to contribute to uncontrolled cellular proliferation and metastatic processes. In pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), for example, the ECM produced by pancreatic fibroblasts (PFs) is an order of magnitude stiffer than the healthy tissue.

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