Actomyosin Cortical Mechanical Properties in Nonadherent Cells Determined by Atomic Force Microscopy.

ABSTRACT: The organization of filamentous actin and myosin II molecular motor contractility is known to modify the mechanical properties of the cell cortical actomyosin cytoskeleton. Here we describe a novel method, to our knowledge, for using force spectroscopy approach curves with tipless cantilevers to determine the actomyosin cortical tension, elastic modulus, and intracellular pressure of nonadherent cells. We validated the method by measuring the surface tension of water in oil microdrops deposited on a glass surface. We extracted an average tension of T ∼ 20.25 nN/μm, which agrees with macroscopic experimental methods. We then measured cortical mechanical properties in nonadherent human foreskin fibroblasts and THP-1 human monocytes before and after pharmacological perturbations of actomyosin

SUBMITTER: Cartagena-Rivera AX 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4906360 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature