Precancerous niche remodelling dictates nascent tumour persistence - PubMed
8 hours ago
- #tumor microenvironment
- #precancerous niche
- #early tumorigenesis
- Interactions between mutant cells and their microenvironment are crucial for cancer susceptibility.
- Early-stage tumors remodel their microenvironment to form a 'precancerous niche' that supports their survival.
- Stress responses in early tumor cells instruct mesenchymal cells to create a supportive stromal environment.
- Fibroblasts beneath emerging tumors activate a wound-healing response, remodeling the extracellular matrix into a fibronectin-rich scaffold that promotes tumor growth.
- The precancerous niche alone can confer tumor-like properties to normal epithelial cells, as shown in 3D culture and in vivo experiments.
- Both genetic mutations and stromal responses to stress determine the persistence and progression of early tumors.