Brief Pulses of High-Level Fluid Shear Stress Enhance Metastatic Potential and Rapidly Alter the Metabolism of Cancer Cells

Authors

Amanda N. Pope, University of Iowa
Devon L. Moose, University of Iowa
Guy O. Hudson, University of Iowa
Hank R. Weresh, University of Iowa
Marion R. Dykstra, Old Dominion UniversityFollow
Aabha Y. Joshi, St. Thomas University
Patrick Breheny, University of Iowa
Eric B. Taylor, University of Iowa
Michael D. Henry, Old Dominion UniversityFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2026

DOI

10.1016/j.celrep.2025.116908

Publication Title

Cell Reports

Volume

45

Issue

2

Pages

116908

Abstract

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) face challenges to their survival, including mechanical and oxidative stresses that are different from cancer cells in solid primary and metastatic tumors. The impact of adaptations to the fluid microenvironment of the circulation on the outcome of the metastatic cascade is not well understood. Here, we find that cancer cells exposed to brief pulses of high-level fluid shear stress (FSS) exhibit enhanced invasiveness and anchorage-independent proliferation in vitro and enhanced metastatic colonization/tumor formation in vivo. Cancer cells exposed to FSS rapidly alter their metabolism in a manner that promotes survival by providing energy for cytoskeletal remodeling and contractility as well as reducing equivalents to counter oxidative stress associated with cell detachment. Thus, exposure to FSS may provide CTCs with an unexpected survival benefit that promotes metastatic colonization.

Rights

© 2026 The Authors.

This is an open access article under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) License.

Data Availability

Article states: "All datasets have been made available for public access through National Metabolomics Data Repository (NMDR) under project PR002798; https://doi.org/10.21228/M80C2F and Processed RNA-seq data can be found on Gene Expression Omnibus under GEO accession: GSE302200. All data can be requested through the lead contact."

Original Publication Citation

Pope, A. N., Moose, D. L., Hudson, G. O., Weresh, H. R., Dykstra, M. R., Joshi, A. Y., Breheny, P., Taylor, E. B., & Henry, M. D. (2026). Brief pulses of high-level fluid shear stress enhance metastatic potential and rapidly alter the metabolism of cancer cells. Cell Reports, 45(2), Article 116908. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2025.116908 

Repository Citation

Pope, A. N., Moose, D. L., Hudson, G. O., Weresh, H. R., Dykstra, M. R., Joshi, A. Y., Breheny, P., Taylor, E. B., & Henry, M. D. (2026). Brief pulses of high-level fluid shear stress enhance metastatic potential and rapidly alter the metabolism of cancer cells. Cell Reports, 45(2), Article 116908. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2025.116908