Development of a Ratiometric Tension Sensor Exclusively Responding to Integrin Tension Magnitude in Live Cells.

ABSTRACT: Integrin tensions are critical for cell mechanotransduction. By converting force to fluorescence, molecular tension sensors image integrin tensions in live cells with a high resolution. However, the fluorescence signal intensity results collectively from integrin tension magnitude, tension dwell time, integrin density, sensor accessibility, and so forth, making it highly challenging to specifically monitor the molecular force level of integrin tensions. Here, a ratiometric tension sensor (RTS) was developed to exclusively monitor the integrin tension magnitude. The RTS consists of two tension-sensing units that are coupled in series and always subject to the same integrin tension. These two units are activated by tension to fluoresce in separate spectra and with different activation rates.

SUBMITTER: Sarkar A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10788086 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature