Quantifying force transmission through fibroblasts: changes of traction forces under external shearing.

ABSTRACT: Mammalian cells have evolved complex mechanical connections to their microenvironment, including focal adhesion clusters that physically connect the cytoskeleton and the extracellular matrix. This mechanical link is also part of the cellular machinery to transduce, sense and respond to external forces. Although methods to measure cell attachment and cellular traction forces are well established, these are not capable of quantifying force transmission through the cell body to adhesion sites. We here present a novel approach to quantify intracellular force transmission by combining microneedle shearing at the apical cell surface with traction force microscopy at the basal cell surface. The change of traction forces exerted by fibroblasts to underlying polyacrylamide substrates as a response

SUBMITTER: Huth S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8964583 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature