Table 2.

The role of ECM proteins and their contribution to PDAC progression

ECM Protein	Role in PDAC	Implications in PDAC	References
Collagen	The principal structural component of the ECM. Facilitates cell-ECM interactions.	Increased collagen deposition, especially Type I collagen, can drive invasive behavior in PDAC. Associated with the promotion of cell proliferation and immunosuppression.	Öhlund et al., 2017 Drifka et al., 2016 Chen et al., 2022
Hyaluronan	Another ECM molecule. Facilitates a physical barrier and a signaling molecule that influences the immune response.	Accumulated HA leads to increased poor survival, and reduced T cell infiltration in the TME. Promotes infiltration and differentiation of tumor-associated macrophages.	Tahkola et al., 2021 Yang et al., 2023
Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMPs)	Enzymes that degrade ECM components. Involved in tissue inhibitors.	Their overexpression can drive PDAC progression by degrading ECM and altering ECM dynamics. MMPs are key drivers of both tumor growth and metastasis during PDAC.	Zhai et al., 2016 Zhang et al., 2020 Kessenbrock et al., 2010
Tissue Inhibitors of Metalloproteinases (TIMPs)	Inhibit MMP activity. Regulate ECM turnover.	Imbalance between TIMPs and MMPs can affect the integrity of the ECM in PDAC, influencing tumor behavior.	Roy and Walsh, 2014 Schoeps et al., 2021 Tian et al., 2022
Fibronectin	Facilitates cell adhesion to the EMT.	Elevated in PDAC and has been associated with tumor progression. Promotes cell proliferation and adhesion.	Hu et al., 2019 Resovi et al., 2023 Xu et al., 2023
Laminin	Accumulate in the ECM. Facilitates cell migration and invasion.	Alterations in laminin expression can affect PDAC cell adhesion and migration.	Kirtonia et al., 2022 Huang and Chen, 2021