All-Covalent Nuclease-Resistant and Hydrogel-Tethered DNA Hairpin Probes Map pN Cell Traction Forces.

ABSTRACT: Cells sense and respond to the physical properties of their environment through receptor-mediated signaling, a process known as mechanotransduction, which can modulate critical cellular functions such as proliferation, differentiation, and survival. At the molecular level, cell adhesion receptors, such as integrins, transmit piconewton (pN)-scale forces to the extracellular matrix, and the magnitude of the force plays a critical role in cell signaling. The most sensitive approach to measuring integrin forces involves DNA hairpin-based sensors, which are used to quantify and map forces in living cells. Despite the broad use of DNA hairpin sensors to study a variety of mechanotransduction processes, these sensors are typically anchored to rigid glass slides, which are orders of magnitude sti

SUBMITTER: Rashid SA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10360067 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature