scholarly journals Fluctuations of Stiff Polymers and Cell Mechanics

Biopolymers ◽  
10.5772/10276 ◽  
2010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jens Glaser ◽  
Klaus Kroy
Keyword(s):  
Cell Mechanics

scholarly journals Quantitative Methodologies to Dissect Immune Cell Mechanobiology

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 851
Author(s):  
Veronika Pfannenstill ◽  
Aurélien Barbotin ◽  
Huw Colin-York ◽  
Marco Fritzsche
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Immune Response ◽  
Time Scales ◽  
Immune Cells ◽  
Cell Mechanics ◽  
Immune Cell ◽  
Biological Significance ◽  
Force Generation ◽  
Tissue Microenvironment ◽  
And Behavior

Mechanobiology seeks to understand how cells integrate their biomechanics into their function and behavior. Unravelling the mechanisms underlying these mechanobiological processes is particularly important for immune cells in the context of the dynamic and complex tissue microenvironment. However, it remains largely unknown how cellular mechanical force generation and mechanical properties are regulated and integrated by immune cells, primarily due to a profound lack of technologies with sufficient sensitivity to quantify immune cell mechanics. In this review, we discuss the biological significance of mechanics for immune cells across length and time scales, and highlight several experimental methodologies for quantifying the mechanics of immune cells. Finally, we discuss the importance of quantifying the appropriate mechanical readout to accelerate insights into the mechanobiology of the immune response.

scholarly journals Cell mechanical properties of human breast carcinoma cells depend on temperature

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Aermes ◽  
Alexander Hayn ◽  
Tony Fischer ◽  
Claudia Tanja Mierke
Keyword(s):  
Mechanical Properties ◽  
Power Law ◽  
Cell Mechanics ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Creep Response ◽  
Temperature Range ◽  
Myosin Filaments ◽  
Cell Mechanical Properties ◽  
Increasing Temperature ◽  
Mcf 7

AbstractThe knowledge of cell mechanics is required to understand cellular processes and functions, such as the movement of cells, and the development of tissue engineering in cancer therapy. Cell mechanical properties depend on a variety of factors, such as cellular environments, and may also rely on external factors, such as the ambient temperature. The impact of temperature on cell mechanics is not clearly understood. To explore the effect of temperature on cell mechanics, we employed magnetic tweezers to apply a force of 1 nN to 4.5 µm superparamagnetic beads. The beads were coated with fibronectin and coupled to human epithelial breast cancer cells, in particular MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. Cells were measured in a temperature range between 25 and 45 °C. The creep response of both cell types followed a weak power law. At all temperatures, the MDA-MB-231 cells were pronouncedly softer compared to the MCF-7 cells, whereas their fluidity was increased. However, with increasing temperature, the cells became significantly softer and more fluid. Since mechanical properties are manifested in the cell’s cytoskeletal structure and the paramagnetic beads are coupled through cell surface receptors linked to cytoskeletal structures, such as actin and myosin filaments as well as microtubules, the cells were probed with pharmacological drugs impacting the actin filament polymerization, such as Latrunculin A, the myosin filaments, such as Blebbistatin, and the microtubules, such as Demecolcine, during the magnetic tweezer measurements in the specific temperature range. Irrespective of pharmacological interventions, the creep response of cells followed a weak power law at all temperatures. Inhibition of the actin polymerization resulted in increased softness in both cell types and decreased fluidity exclusively in MDA-MB-231 cells. Blebbistatin had an effect on the compliance of MDA-MB-231 cells at lower temperatures, which was minor on the compliance MCF-7 cells. Microtubule inhibition affected the fluidity of MCF-7 cells but did not have a significant effect on the compliance of MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. In summary, with increasing temperature, the cells became significant softer with specific differences between the investigated drugs and cell lines.

scholarly journals Keratins determine network stress responsiveness in reconstituted actin-keratin filament systems

Soft Matter ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iman Elbalasy ◽  
Paul Mollenkopf ◽  
Cary Tutmarc ◽  
Harald Herrmann ◽  
Jörg Schnauß
Keyword(s):  
Cell Mechanics ◽  
Major Determinant ◽  
Stress Responsiveness ◽  
Keratin Filament

The cytoskeleton is a major determinant of cell mechanics, and alterations in the central mechanical aspects of cells are observed during many pathological situations. Therefore, it is essential to investigate...

scholarly journals Pharmacological Activation of Myosin II to Correct Pancreatic Cancer Cell Mechanics

2015 ◽  
Vol 108 (2) ◽  
pp. 142a-143a
Author(s):  
Alexandra Surcel ◽  
Qingfeng Zhu ◽  
Eric Schiffhauer ◽  
Robert Anders ◽  
Douglas Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Cancer Cell ◽  
Cell Mechanics ◽  
Pancreatic Cancer Cell ◽  
Myosin Ii

ISSLS Prize Winner: Collagen Fibril Sliding Governs Cell Mechanics in the Anulus Fibrosus

Spine ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 29 (23) ◽  
pp. 2612-2620 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabina B. Bruehlmann ◽  
John R. Matyas ◽  
Neil A. Duncan
Keyword(s):  
Cell Mechanics ◽  
Collagen Fibril ◽  
Anulus Fibrosus

scholarly journals Pharmacological activation of myosin II paralogs to correct cell mechanics defects

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (5) ◽  
pp. 1428-1433 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexandra Surcel ◽  
Win Pin Ng ◽  
Hoku West-Foyle ◽  
Qingfeng Zhu ◽  
Yixin Ren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cancer Cells ◽  
Cell Mechanics ◽  
Myosin Ii ◽  
Target Space ◽  
Power Stroke ◽  
Invasion And Migration ◽  
Cortical Tension ◽  
Pancreatic Cancer Cells ◽  
Tumor Cell Behavior ◽  
And Migration

Current approaches to cancer treatment focus on targeting signal transduction pathways. Here, we develop an alternative system for targeting cell mechanics for the discovery of novel therapeutics. We designed a live-cell, high-throughput chemical screen to identify mechanical modulators. We characterized 4-hydroxyacetophenone (4-HAP), which enhances the cortical localization of the mechanoenzyme myosin II, independent of myosin heavy-chain phosphorylation, thus increasing cellular cortical tension. To shift cell mechanics, 4-HAP requires myosin II, including its full power stroke, specifically activating human myosin IIB (MYH10) and human myosin IIC (MYH14), but not human myosin IIA (MYH9). We further demonstrated that invasive pancreatic cancer cells are more deformable than normal pancreatic ductal epithelial cells, a mechanical profile that was partially corrected with 4-HAP, which also decreased the invasion and migration of these cancer cells. Overall, 4-HAP modifies nonmuscle myosin II-based cell mechanics across phylogeny and disease states and provides proof of concept that cell mechanics offer a rich drug target space, allowing for possible corrective modulation of tumor cell behavior.

Single Cell Mechanics and its connections to Human Diseases

2005 ◽  
Vol 09 (14) ◽  
pp. 674-675 ◽  
Author(s):  
Teck Chwee Lim
Keyword(s):  
Physical Properties ◽  
Single Cell ◽  
Sickle Cell ◽  
Quantitative Study ◽  
Sickle Cell Anemia ◽  
Cell Mechanics ◽  
Human Diseases

The article is about single cell mechanics and its connection to human diseases. It touches on the biomechanics used to perform quantitative study in the physical properties of cells with the progression of certain diseases such as malaria, sickle cell anemia and cancer.

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