Cancer Cells' Mastery of Their Environment

Cancer cells actively reshape their surroundings. By releasing sonic hedgehog, they stiffen the extracellular matrix, enlisting stromal cells as allies. This increased stiffness heightens actomyosin cytoskeleton tension, activating oncogenic transcription factors and driving invasive tumor growth. More details can be found in article number 2400063 by Jeongeun Hyun, Hae-Won Kim, and co-workers.