UCSF scientists have shown for the first time that the rigidity of a tissue can induce cancer. The research team identified an enzyme that is crucial for regulating tissue stiffness and demonstrated that the enzyme can turn abnormal but non-malignant breast tissue into tumors, according to a study published in “Cell” online.
Blocking the enzyme lysyl oxidase (LOX) decreased tissue stiffness and reduced the chance a tumor would form. It also caused tumors that did develop to be smaller and less aggressive, said senior author Valerie Weaver, PhD, associate professor and director of the Center for Bioengineering and Tissue Regeneration in the Department of Surgery at UC San Francisco.
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