Even though breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer among women, treatments are not always successful in preventing its progression. Recent studies suggest that hypoxia and the extracellular matrix (ECM) are important in altering cell metabolism and tumor metastasis. Therefore, the aim of this review is to study the crosstalk between hypoxia and the ECM and to assess their impact on breast cancer progression. The findings indicate that hypoxic signaling engages multiple mechanisms that directly contribute to ECM remodeling, ultimately increasing breast cancer aggressiveness. Second, hypoxia and the ECM cooperate to alter different aspects of cell metabolism. They mutually enhance aerobic glycolysis through upregulation of glucose transport, glycolytic enzymes, and by regulating intracellular pH. Both alter lipid and amino acid metabolism by stimulating lipid and amino acid uptake and synthesis, thereby providing the tumor with additional energy for growth and metastasis. Third, YAP/TAZ signaling is not merely regulated by the tumor microenvironment and cell metabolism, but it also regulates it primarily through its target c-Myc. Taken together, this review provides a better understanding of the crosstalk between hypoxia and the ECM in breast cancer. Additionally, it points to a role for the YAP/TAZ mechanotransduction pathway as an important link between hypoxia and the ECM in the tumor microenvironment, driving breast cancer progression.
Keywords: YAP/TAZ; breast cancer; cell metabolism; extracellular matrix; hypoxia; mechanotransduction; tumor microenvironment.