Effect of Various Extracellular Matrix Proteins on Prostate Cancer Cell Behavior

The communication of a cancer cell with its microenvironment determines its fate as it can mediate signaling and cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions which support their adhesion, invasion, and proliferation. While several studies have analyzed the specific effects of soluble factors (growth factors, hormones…) on cancer cell behavior, integrin-mediated and ECM-specific effects remain mainly understudied.  This project carries major significance in advancing the understanding of metastatic cell behaviors and their interaction with various matrices encountered during metastasis. The influence of different ECM proteins on PC3 prostate cancer cells behaviors studied in this project included: cellular metabolism, proliferation, migration, and morphology. Our results indicate matrix-specific effects on the viability and metabolism of PC3 cells measured using a 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Cell image processing software ImageJ was also used to quantitatively and qualitatively assess differences in cell morphology, our results show significant variability in cell length when comparing cells on different matrices, but none in cell area. The proliferation of PC3 cells varies on different matrices. Overall, our results reveal that upon adhesion on different ECM proteins, prostate cancer cells exhibit ECM-specific effects that influence cell behavior.