Influence of ECM stiffness in osteosarcoma metastasis

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 19K18482
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 56020:Orthopedics-related
• Research Institution: 医療法人徳洲会野崎徳洲会病院(附属研究所)
• Principal Investigator: Kumai Jun 医療法人徳洲会野崎徳洲会病院(附属研究所), 研究所, 研究員 (20826549)
• Project Period (FY): 2019-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: がん転移 / 細胞外マトリックス / メカノトランスダクション / メカノセンシング

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Suppression of tumor metastasis is a stage of exploration. The applicant focused on the engraftment stage, which could be the final barrier to the metastatic process, and hypothesized that the adaptability of metastatic cells to ECM stiffness of metastatic sites affects metastatic formation. Participated in a paper reporting that osteosarcoma proliferates in a soft environment depending on the amount of collagen fibers. On the other hand, in epithelial cancer, cells with higher metastatic potential gradually increase their cell proliferation / spreading activity when they are repeatedly cultured in a soft environment, and their activity decreases as the metastatic potential decreases. There is a correlation between this phenomenon and its adaptability to soft environments, and we are investigating the molecular mechanism of adaptation to soft environments.

Free Research Field

細胞外マトリックス

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究の成果は、これまで有効な治療法が存在しない骨肉腫の肺転移に対して繊維化抑制薬の有効性を示したことである。これは、骨肉腫罹患者の予後の向上に大きく貢献できると考えている。さらに、進行形の軟らかい環境へのがん細胞の適応性と転移の関連を明らかにすることで、骨肉腫だけでなく多様な癌の転移に幅広く対応でき、まだ模索段階である転移治療の礎になると考えられる。