Chromatin de-condensation by switching substrate elasticity. Chromatin de-condensation by switching substrate elasticity

The mortality in cancer is mostly related to the development of metastases that colonize and comprise the function of vital organs. During the process of dissemination to form metastases, tumor cells face changing environments. Although the consequences of the changes in chemical environment have widely been investigated, much less is known about the effects of the physical changes. We have developed a culture model in which human colon cancer cells have been recurrently grown on soft substrates versus standard rigid substrates. The soft substrates induce several phenotypic changes like the increase of cell motility and the remodeling of chromatin structure. The aim was to investigate, by RNAseq, the changes in global gene expression induced in cells grown on soft versus rigid substrates. Overall design: Compare gene expression in human colon cancer cells (SW480) grown on soft versus rigid substrate