Cited by 962Cellular Mechanics and InteractionsTGF-β signaling in diseasesCancer Cells and Metastasis

Extracellular matrix and its therapeutic potential for cancer treatment

Open access
Huang, Jiacheng, Zhang, Lele, Wan, Dalong, Zhou, Lin, Zheng, Shusen, Lin, Shengzhang, Qiao, Yiting·2021·Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy

Abstract

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is one of the major components of tumors that plays multiple crucial roles, including mechanical support, modulation of the microenvironment, and a source of signaling molecules. The quantity and cross-linking status of ECM components are major factors determining tissue stiffness. During tumorigenesis, the interplay between cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment (TME) often results in the stiffness of the ECM, leading to aberrant mechanotransduction and further malignant transformation. Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of ECM dysregulation in the TME would contribute to the discovery of promising therapeutic targets for cancer treatment. Herein, we summarized the knowledge concerning the following: (1) major ECM constituents and their functions in both normal and malignant conditions; (2) the interplay between cancer cells and the ECM in the TME; (3) key receptors for mechanotransduction and their alteration during carcinogenesis; and (4) the current therapeutic strategies targeting aberrant ECM for cancer treatment.

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1038/s41392-021-00544-0

Cites

588 of 588 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • Several other ECM components, such as fibronectin, hyaluronan, TGF-β, integrins involved in mechanotransduction, and other sensors of matrix stiffness, are being studied as potential therapeutic targets in various cancers, including CRC.

    “several other ECM components, such as fibronectin, hyaluronan, TGF-β, integrins involved in mechanotransduction, and other sensors of matrix stiffness, are being studied as potential therapeutic targets in various cancers, including CRC [218].”
  • Several therapeutic approaches have been developed that aim to alleviate excessive collagen deposition in the TME of solid tumors by altering the synthesis, degradation, or crosslinking of collagen.

    “Several therapeutic approaches have been developed that aim to alleviate excessive collagen deposition in the TME of solid tumors by altering the synthesis, degradation, or crosslinking of collagen [218].”
  • The ECM's functional characteristics and structural components, such as collagen and proteoglycans, play a critical role in maintaining tissue homeostasis and promoting angiogenesis.

    “The ECM's functional characteristics and structural components, such as collagen and proteoglycans, play a critical role in maintaining tissue homeostasis and promoting angiogenesis.”

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Cites

2 retracted

Flagged first, then by citations

Research works printed but not linked: 2

  1. [35]Hynes, R. O. in Fibronectins 113–175 (Springer New York, NY, 1990).
  2. [87]Jones, E. A., Yang, X., Giannoudis, P. & McGonagle, D. in Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Skeletal Regeneration (eds Elena A. Jones, Xuebin Yang, Peter Giannoudis, & Dennis McGonagle) 33–38 (Academic Press, 2013).

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Huang, J., Zhang, L., Wan, D., Zhou, L., Zheng, S., Lin, S., & Qiao, Y.
Affiliations
  • Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College (CN)
  • First Affiliated Hospital Zhejiang University (CN)
  • Zhejiang Shuren University (CN)
Corresponding author
  • Lin, Shengzhang
  • Qiao, Yiting
Venue
Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy
Published
2021-04-23
Volume
6
Issue
1
Pages
153-153
ISSN
2059-3635 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W3152880902
Cited by
962
References
588
Citations by year
2026: 206 · 2025: 308 · 2024: 212 · 2023: 136 · 2022: 84 · 2021: 15 · 2013: 1
FWCI
14.17
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (2016C04003, 81903143, no.81721091, 81721091, 2017ZX10203205, 91542205)
  • Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences ((2019‐I2M‐5‐030))
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Cellular Mechanics and Interactions
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › TGF-β signaling in diseases
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer Cells and Metastasis
Keywords
extracellular matrix, tumor microenvironment, tissue stiffness, mechanotransduction, cancer cells, carcinogenesis
MeSH terms
Extracellular Matrix, Humans, Neoplasms, Tumor Microenvironment, Carcinogenesis

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review