Furthermore, cells in the myCAF-(F-POSTN) and iCAF-(F-ALPL) groups expressed high levels of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs; e.g., MMP2, MMP14, MMP23B, and MMP19) (Fig. 2G), indicating that these cells are involved in degradation of the basement membrane and ECM to facilitate tumor metastasis13,14. Here, POSTN is linked to neoplasm.