Micromechanical properties of keratin intermediate filament networks.

ABSTRACT: Keratin intermediate filaments (KIFs) form cytoskeletal KIF networks that are essential for the structural integrity of epithelial cells. However, the mechanical properties of the in situ network have not been defined. Particle-tracking microrheology (PTM) was used to obtain the micromechanical properties of the KIF network in alveolar epithelial cells (AECs), independent of other cytoskeletal components, such as microtubules and microfilaments. The storage modulus (G') at 1 Hz of the KIF network decreases from the perinuclear region (335 dyn/cm(2)) to the cell periphery (95 dyn/cm(2)), yielding a mean value of 210 dyn/cm(2). These changes in G' are inversely proportional to the mesh size of the network, which increases approximately 10-fold from the perinuclear region (0.02 microm(2)) to

SUBMITTER: Sivaramakrishnan S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2242724 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature