Dawei Song^1,*, Nicholas Hugenberg², Assad A Oberai¹

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.16, Suppl.2, pp. 45-45, 2019, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.07138

Abstract Tractions exerted by cells on the extracellular matrix (ECM) are critical in many important physiological and pathological processes such as embryonic morphogenesis, cell migration, wound healing, and cancer metastasis. Traction Force Microscopy (TFM) is a robust tool to quantify cellular tractions during cell-matrix interactions. It works by measuring the motion of fiducial markers inside the ECM in response to cellular tractions and using this information to infer the traction field. Most applications of this technique have heretofore assumed that the ECM is homogeneous and isotropic [1], although the native ECM is typically composed of fibrous… More >

Gloria B. Kim^1,†, Qiong Wei^2,†, Virginia Aragon-Sanabria¹, Sulin Zhang², Jian Yang¹, Cheng Dong^1,*

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 >

Petit Claudie¹, Guignandon Alain², Avril Stéphane^1,*

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.16, No.2, pp. 87-108, 2019, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2019.06415

Abstract The contractile behavior of smooth muscle cells (SMCs) in the aorta is an important determinant of growth, remodeling, and homeostasis. However, quantitative values of SMC basal tone have never been characterized precisely on individual SMCs. Therefore, to address this lack, we developed an in vitro technique based on Traction Force Microscopy (TFM). Aortic SMCs from a human lineage at low passages (4-7) were cultured 2 days in conditions promoting the development of their contractile apparatus and seeded on hydrogels of varying elastic modulus (1, 4, 12 and 25 kPa) with embedded fluorescent microspheres. After complete… More >