Cancer-associated Fibroblast–specific Expression of the Matricellular Protein CCN1 Coordinates Neovascularization and Stroma Deposition in Melanoma Metastasis

Abstract

In human patients, the expression of proangiogenic matricellular protein CCN1 in CAFs correlates positively with expression of stroma and angiogenic markers and progressive disease/resistance to checkpoint inhibitor therapy. In an animal model, loss of CCN1 from CAFs impaired metastasis of melanoma cells, neovascularization, and collagen deposition, emphasizing that CAFs coordinate cellular behavior in a tumor microenvironment and that CCN1 may be a novel target.