Programmable Multivalent DNA-Origami Tension Probes for Reporting Cellular Traction Forces.

ABSTRACT: Mechanical forces are central to most, if not all, biological processes, including cell development, immune recognition, and metastasis. Because the cellular machinery mediating mechano-sensing and force generation is dependent on the nanoscale organization and geometry of protein assemblies, a current need in the field is the development of force-sensing probes that can be customized at the nanometer-length scale. In this work, we describe a DNA origami tension sensor that maps the piconewton (pN) forces generated by living cells. As a proof-of-concept, we engineered a novel library of six-helix-bundle DNA-origami tension probes (DOTPs) with a tailorable number of tension-reporting hairpins (each with their own tunable tension response threshold) and a tunable number of cell-receptor liga

SUBMITTER: Dutta PK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6087633 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature