Grant: Project Grant

Poor outcomes in aggressive breast and prostate cancer are associated with increased stiffness of the extracellular matrix (ECM), The ECM is a collection of molecules outside of cells that provides support to the surrounding cells. Indeed, the association of mammography density with more aggressive breast cancers is based on the increased organization and stiffness of the ECM of these cancers. Focal adhesions are structures on the surface of cells responsible for the attachment of cells to the ECM and mediate the response of cancer cells to the stiffness of the ECM. We have identified a protein called caveolin-1 that regulates focal adhesion mediated tension between the cells and ECM. This protein is also associated with breast and prostate cancer malignancy. We will now determine how caveolin-1 controls focal adhesion mediated tension, and whether its role as a regulator of focal adhesions is responsible for its association with malignant cancers. This work will advance our understanding of highly aggressive breast cancers and could help us identify new mechanisms and molecules that can be targeted to treat these cancers.