Mechanosensitivity of a rapid bioluminescence reporter system assessed by atomic force microscopy.

ABSTRACT: Cells are sophisticated integrators of mechanical stimuli that lead to physiological, biochemical, and genetic responses. The bioluminescence of dinoflagellates, alveolate protists that use light emission for predator defense, serves as a rapid noninvasive whole-cell reporter of mechanosensitivity. In this study, we used atomic force microscopy (AFM) to explore the relationship between cell mechanical properties and mechanosensitivity in live cells of the dinoflagellate Pyrocystis lunula. Cell stiffness was 0.56 MPa, consistent with cells possessing a cell wall. Cell response depended on both the magnitude and velocity of the applied force. At the maximum stimulation velocity of 390 μm s(-1), the threshold response occurred at a force of 7.2 μN, resulting in a contact time of 6.1 ms and in

SUBMITTER: Tesson B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4375627 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature