Models of cytoskeletal mechanics of adherent cells

Adherent cells sense their mechanical environment, which, in turn, regulates their functions. During the past decade, a growing body of evidence has indicated that a deformable, solid-state intracellular structure known as the cytoskeleton (CSK) plays a major role in transmitting and distributing mechanical stresses within the cell as well as in their conversion into a chemical response. Therefore in order to understand mechanical regulation and control of cellular functions, one needs to understand mechanisms that determine how the CSK changes its shape and mechanics in response to stress. In this survey, we examined commonly used structurally based models of the CSK. In particular, we focused on two classes of these models: open-cell foam networks and stress-supported structures. We identified the underlying mechanisms that determine deformability of those models and compare model predictions with data previously obtained from mechanical tests on cultured living adherent cells at steady state. We concluded that stress-supported structures appear more suitable for describing cell deformability because this class of structures can explain the central role that the cytoskeletal contractile prestress plays in cellular mechanics.