Figure 1.

Matrix stiffness promotes the invasion of HCC cells

HCC cells were cultured on polyacrylamide hydrogels with the indicated rigidities (1.6 and 25.6 kPa) and plastic plates in 3D Matrigel overlay culture. (A) Bright-field images of HCC cells. The in vitro invasion of HCC cells is quantified by the degree of cell scattering using ImageJ software. (B and C) Expression of basement membrane component laminin β1 and EMT-related markers (E-cadherin and N-cadherin) was assessed by immunofluorescence staining. (D) Matrix stiffness modulated the ratio of monounsaturated/saturated fatty acids in all lipid species. (E) Phospholipids levels were determined by lipidomic mass spectrometry. (F) Western blot analyzed stiffness-induced SCD1 protein expression. (G) Hue-saturation-brightness images. The value of the minimum color (blue) was set to generalized polarization (GP) = −1 and the maximum (red) was set to 1. ∗p < 0.05, ∗∗∗p < 0.001.