Figure 1.

The ‘yin and yang’ of cancer cell growth and mechanosensing. An illustration of the relationship between ECM rigidity and cell growth, where ‘yin’ (red) represents the cellular response to negative mechanical stimuli (e.g., a soft ECM), and ‘yang’ (blue) represents positive growth signals (see figure key). (A) In normal cells, the negative mechanical signals from a soft ECM are stronger than the positive signals, causing the cells to undergo anoikis. (B) In anchorage-independent transformed cells, the balance shifts and cells grow regardless of ECM rigidity.