Growth and metastasis of lung adenocarcinoma is potentiated by BMP4-mediated immunosuppression.

Cancer cells modulate the recruitment and function of inflammatory cells to create an immunosuppressive microenvironment that favors tumor growth and metastasis. However, the tumor-derived regulatory programs that promote intratumoral immunosuppression remain poorly defined. Here, we show in a Krasp53-based mouse model that bone morphogenetic protein-4 (BMP4) augments the expression of the T cell co-inhibitory receptor ligand PD-L1 in the mesenchymal subset of lung cancer cells, leading to profound CD8 T cell-mediated immunosuppression, producing tumor growth and metastasis.

Ultrahigh-throughput Generation and Characterization of Cellular Aggregates in Laser-ablated Microwells of Poly(dimethylsiloxane).

Aggregates of cells, also known as multicellular aggregates (MCAs), have been used as microscale tissues in the fields of cancer biology, regenerative medicine, and developmental biology for many decades. However, small MCAs (fewer than 100 cells per aggregate) have remained challenging to manufacture in large quantities at high uniformity. Forced aggregation into microwells offers a promising solution for forming consistent aggregates, but commercial sources of microwells are expensive, complicated to manufacture, or lack the surface packing densities that would significantly improve MCA production.

The microRNA-200/Zeb1 axis regulates ECM-dependent β1-integrin/FAK signaling, cancer cell invasion and metastasis through CRKL.

Tumor cell metastasis is a complex process that has been mechanistically linked to the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). The double-negative feedback loop between the microRNA-200 family and the Zeb1 transcriptional repressor is a master EMT regulator, but there is incomplete understanding of how miR-200 suppresses invasion. Our recent efforts have focused on the tumor cell-matrix interactions essential to tumor cell activation.

Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts Induce a Collagen Cross-link Switch in Tumor Stroma.

Unlabelled: Intratumoral collagen cross-links heighten stromal stiffness and stimulate tumor cell invasion, but it is unclear how collagen cross-linking is regulated in epithelial tumors. To address this question, we used Kras(LA1) mice, which develop lung adenocarcinomas from somatic activation of a Kras(G12D) allele. The lung tumors in Kras(LA1) mice were highly fibrotic and contained cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAF) that produced collagen and generated stiffness in collagen gels.

Fibulin-2 is a driver of malignant progression in lung adenocarcinoma.

The extracellular matrix of epithelial tumors undergoes structural remodeling during periods of uncontrolled growth, creating regional heterogeneity and torsional stress. How matrix integrity is maintained in the face of dynamic biophysical forces is largely undefined. Here we investigated the role of fibulin-2, a matrix glycoprotein that functions biomechanically as an inter-molecular clasp and thereby facilitates supra-molecular assembly.

A synthetic matrix with independently tunable biochemistry and mechanical properties to study epithelial morphogenesis and EMT in a lung adenocarcinoma model.

Better understanding of the biophysical and biochemical cues of the tumor extracellular matrix environment that influence metastasis may have important implications for new cancer therapeutics. Initial exploration into this question has used naturally derived protein matrices that suffer from variability, poor control over matrix biochemistry, and inability to modify the matrix biochemistry and mechanics. Here, we report the use of a synthetic polymer-based scaffold composed primarily of poly(ethylene glycol), or PEG, modified with bioactive peptides to study murine models of lung adenocarcinoma.

miR-200 Inhibits lung adenocarcinoma cell invasion and metastasis by targeting Flt1/VEGFR1.

The microRNA-200 (miR-200) family is part of a gene expression signature that predicts poor prognosis in lung cancer patients. In a mouse model of K-ras/p53-mutant lung adenocarcinoma, miR-200 levels are suppressed in metastasis-prone tumor cells, and forced miR-200 expression inhibits tumor growth and metastasis, but the miR-200 target genes that drive lung tumorigenesis have not been fully elucidated. Here, we scanned the genome for putative miR-200 binding sites and found them in the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of 35 genes that are amplified in human cancer.