Elastomeric Pillar Cages Modulate Actomyosin Contractility of Epithelial Microtissues by Substrate Stiffness and Topography.

ABSTRACT: Cell contractility regulates epithelial tissue geometry development and homeostasis. The underlying mechanobiological regulation circuits are poorly understood and experimentally challenging. We developed an elastomeric pillar cage (EPC) array to quantify cell contractility as a mechanoresponse of epithelial microtissues to substrate stiffness and topography. The spatially confined EPC geometry consisted of 24 circularly arranged slender pillars (1.2 MPa, height: 50 µm; diameter: 10 µm, distance: 5 µm). These high-aspect-ratio pillars were confined at both ends by planar substrates with different stiffness (0.15-1.2 MPa). Analytical modeling and finite elements simulation retrieved cell forces from pillar displacements. For evaluation, highly contractile myofibroblasts and cardiomyocytes w

SUBMITTER: Esser L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10177551 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature