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Simple Polyacrylamide-based Multiwell Stiffness Assay for the Study of Stiffness-dependent Cell Responses
Published on: March 25, 2015
Relationships among cell morphology, intrinsic cell stiffness and cell-substrate interactions
Martin Y M Chiang1, Yanzi Yangben, Nancy J Lin
1Biosystems and Biomaterials Division, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, MD 20899, USA(2).
Biomaterials
|October 1, 2013
Summary
Cell stiffness, a key cell property, can be measured noninvasively. By analyzing cell shape changes on different substrates, researchers can determine cell modulus using biophysical principles.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Cell Biology
- Materials Science
Background:
- Cell modulus (stiffness) is crucial for normal cell function and disease states.
- Existing methods for measuring cell modulus can be prone to skewing results.
- Cell morphology is regulated by cell/substrate interactions and underlying biophysics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate that free energies of cell/substrate interactions dictate adherent cell morphology.
- To establish a noninvasive method for determining intrinsic cell modulus.
- To rationalize cell-substrate interactions through biophysics.
Main Methods:
- Developed a mathematical biophysical model of cell/substrate interactions.
- Measured the morphology of normal and cancerous liver cells on substrates of varying stiffness.
- Analyzed cell roundness as a morphological index reflecting energy trade-offs.
Main Results:
- Cell morphology is determined by minimizing total free energy in the cell/substrate system.
- Substrate stiffness influences cell morphology via an energy trade-off between adhesion and elastic energy.
- Observed global cell morphology changes correlate with substrate stiffness, enabling modulus determination.
Conclusions:
- Cell-substrate interactions are governed by fundamental biophysical principles.
- Cell modulus can be accurately and easily measured noninvasively by observing cell morphology.
- Cell roundness is a key indicator for deducing cell modulus from morphology.
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