Mechanosensitive shivering of model tissues under controlled aspiration.

ABSTRACT: During embryonic development and wound healing, the mechanical signals transmitted from cells to their neighbors induce tissue rearrangement and directional movements. It has been observed that forces exerted between cells in a developing tissue under stress are not always monotonically varying, but they can be pulsatile. Here we investigate the response of model tissues to controlled external stresses. Spherical cellular aggregates are subjected to one-dimensional stretching forces using micropipette aspiration. At large enough pressures, the aggregate flows smoothly inside the pipette. However, in a narrow range of moderate aspiration pressures, the aggregate responds by pulsed contractions or "shivering." We explain the emergence of this shivering behavior by means of a simple analytica

SUBMITTER: Guevorkian K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3158194 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature