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Related Experiment Videos

Osteoblast elastic modulus measured by atomic force microscopy is substrate dependent.

Erica Takai1, Kevin D Costa, Aisha Shaheen

  • 1Bone Bioengineering Laboratory, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA.

Annals of Biomedical Engineering
|August 3, 2005
PubMed
Summary
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Cell stiffness, or elastic modulus, increases when osteoblasts adhere to extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins via integrins, primarily due to actin cytoskeleton remodeling. This change in cell stiffness may affect cellular signaling pathways.

Area of Science:

  • Cellular biophysics
  • Biomaterials science
  • Mechanobiology

Background:

  • The mechanical properties of cells, such as their elastic modulus, are influenced by the actin and microtubule cytoskeleton.
  • Cell adhesion to extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins can alter cytoskeletal organization and, consequently, cell mechanics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how adhesion to different substrates affects the apparent elastic modulus (Eapp) of osteoblast-like MC3T3-E1 cells.
  • To determine the role of the actin and microtubule cytoskeleton in mediating these changes in cell stiffness.

Main Methods:

  • Osteoblast-like MC3T3-E1 cells were cultured on various substrates: fibronectin (FN), vitronectin (VN), type I collagen (COLI), fetal bovine serum (FBS), poly-l-lysine (PLL), and bare glass.
  • The apparent elastic modulus (Eapp) of cells on these substrates was measured using atomic force microscopy (AFM).

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  • The effects of disrupting the actin and microtubule cytoskeleton on Eapp were assessed.

    • Main Results:

    • Cells adhered to ECM proteins (FN, VN, COLI, FBS) via integrins exhibited higher Eapp compared to cells on glass and PLL (nonspecific binding).
    • Osteoblasts on ECM proteins showed significant F-actin stress fiber formation, unlike cells on glass and PLL.
    • Disruption of the actin cytoskeleton reduced the Eapp of osteoblasts on FN to levels seen on glass, while microtubule disruption had no significant effect.

    Conclusions:

    • The increased elastic modulus of osteoblasts adhering to ECM proteins is primarily attributed to the remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton.
    • Modulation of cell stiffness upon substrate adhesion plays a role in mechanosignal transduction in osteoblasts.