Gloria B. Kim1,†, Qiong Wei2,†, Virginia Aragon-Sanabria1, Sulin Zhang2, Jian Yang1, Cheng Dong1,*
Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.16, Suppl.2, pp. 15-15, 2019, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.07137
Abstract Most cells survive and grow by attaching and spreading on a substrate. They generate internal tension that contracts the cell body and thus exert tractions on the underlying substrate through focal adhesions. Traction force also plays a critical role in many biological processes, such as inflammation, metastasis, and angiogenesis. Thus, measuring the cell traction force provides valuable information on understanding the underlying mechanism of these biological processes. Here, a traction force microscopy (TFM) method using super thin hydrogels composed of immobilized fluorescent beads was utilized to quantify the mechanical forces generated during the transmigration of… More >