Extracellular Matrix Dimension and Stiffness Modulate and Remodel
Mechano-metabolome of Breast Cancer Cells
Abstract
The stiffness of the tumor microenvironment (TME) is dynamic and drives
metabolic reprogramming in cancer cells as a consequence of tumor
progression. To demonstrate the possibility to modulate the
mechano-metabolomic profile of breast cancers by tuning the mechanical
property and dimensionality of extracellular matrices (ECMs), we
cultured triple-negative MDA-MB-231 and luminal MCF-7 cells on 2D and in
3D hydrogels based on tyramine functionalized hyaluronic acid (HTA).
Using high-throughput metabolomics analyses, we established that we can
differentially regulate breast cancer mechano-metabolome. The stiff
hydrogels resulted in upregulated lipid and amino acid metabolism along
with increasing malignancy and chemoresistancy. Reprogramming in glucose
metabolism is primarily observed in cells seeded on 2D hydrogels,
whereas modifications in amino acid metabolism is predominant in cells
embedded in 3D stiff hydrogels. These findings suggest that matrix
stiffness and dimensions have decisive roles in reprogramming breast
cancer metabolome, which is the hallmark of breast cancer development
and progression.