Mechanical response of single myoblasts to various stretching patterns visualized by scanning probe microscopy

Area of Science:

• Cell Biology
• Biophysics
• Mechanobiology

Background:

• Single cells possess mechanical memory, influencing their response to external stimuli.
• Understanding cellular mechanical memory is crucial for comprehending cellular contractile force regulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the mechanical memory effect in single C2C12 myoblasts.
• To determine the influence of preceding deformation duration on cellular mechanical response.

Main Methods:

• Applied sequential uniaxial deformation stimuli to C2C12 myoblasts using deformable culture dishes and a deformation device.
• Visualized local stiffness distribution of single cells using scanning probe microscopy.
• Analyzed cellular stiffness changes following different durations of preceding deformation.

Main Results:

• A single stretching event caused a rapid increase in cellular stiffness, followed by a gradual decrease over two hours.
• Cells exhibited a similar stiffness response when a step stretching followed a 30-minute deformation.
• Cells did not show a significant response when a step stretching followed a 0.5-minute deformation.

Conclusions:

• Cellular mechanical response is strongly influenced by prior deformation history.
• The duration of preceding deformation is a key factor in modulating cellular mechanical memory.
• This mechanical memory likely contributes to the regulatory mechanisms of cellular contractile force.