J Biomech 2021 Apr 5;121:110400. Epub 2021 Apr 5.
Fischell Department of Bioengineering, University of Maryland, College Park 20742, MD, USA; Maryland Biophysics Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA. Electronic address:
During cancer metastasis, tumor cells undergo significant deformation in order to traverse through endothelial cell junctions in the walls of blood vessels. As cells pass through narrow gaps, smaller than the nuclear diameter, the spatial configuration of chromatin must change along with the distribution of nuclear enzymes. Nuclear stiffness is an important determinant of the ability of cells to undergo transendothelial migration, yet no studies have been conducted to assess whether tumor cell cytoskeletal or nuclear stiffness changes during this critical process in order to facilitate passage. Read More