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Updated: Jun 19, 2026

Biophysical Assays to Probe the Mechanical Properties of the Interphase Cell Nucleus: Substrate Strain Application and Microneedle Manipulation
Published on: September 14, 2011
Effects of cytoskeletal disruption on transport, structure, and rheology within mammalian cells
Daphne Weihs1, Thomas G Mason, Michael A Teitell
1Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
Abstract:
Quantification of cellular responses to stimuli is challenging. Cells respond to changing external conditions through internal structural and compositional and functional modifications, thereby altering their transport and mechanical properties. By properly interpreting particle-tracking microrheology, we evaluate the response of live cells to cytoskeletal disruption mediated by the drug nocodazole. Prior to administering the drug, the particles exhibit an apparently diffusive behavior that is actually a combination of temporally heterogeneous ballistic and caged motion. Selectively depolymerizing microtubules with the drug causes actively crawling cells to halt, providing a means for assessing drug efficacy, and making the caged motion of the probes readily apparent.
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