Physical Biology in Cancer. 5. The rocky road of metastasis: the role of cytoskeletal mechanics in cell migratory response to 3D matrix topography

The tumor microenvironment is a milieu of heterogeneous architectural features that affect tumor growth and metastatic invasion. Pore size, density, stiffness, and fiber architecture change dramatically from location to location throughout the tumor matrix. While many studies have addressed the effects of two-dimensional extracellular matrix structure and composition on cell migration, less is known about how cancer cells navigate complex, heterogeneous three-dimensional (3D) microenvironments. Mechanical structures such as actin and keratin, part of the cytoskeletal framework, and lamins, part of the nucleoskeletal framework, play a key role in migration and are altered during cancer progression. Recent evidence suggests that these changes in cytoskeletal and nucleoskeletal structures may enable cancer cells to efficiently respond to features such as pore size and stiffness to invade and migrate. Here we discuss the role of cell mechanics and the cytoskeleton in the ability of cells to navigate and respond to 3D matrix features and heterogeneities.