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Probing cell traction forces in confined microenvironments.

Phrabha S Raman1, Colin D Paul, Kimberly M Stroka

  • 1Johns Hopkins Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD 21218, USA.

Lab on a Chip
|October 9, 2013
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study developed a new microfluidic device to measure cell traction forces in confined 3D environments. Cell migration forces decrease with increasing confinement, revealing the impact of the physical microenvironment.

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Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Biophysics
  • Biomaterials

Background:

  • Cell migration is crucial in vivo, occurring within 3D extracellular matrices and longitudinal channels.
  • Traction forces during 2D cell migration are known, but not in confined 3D microenvironments.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a novel assay for measuring cell traction forces in confined 3D microenvironments.
  • To investigate how physical confinement affects cell migration forces.

Main Methods:

  • Fabrication of a microfluidic device with deflectable polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microposts in microchannels of varying sizes.
  • Utilizing NIH-3T3 fibroblasts and human osteosarcoma (HOS) cells as model systems.
  • Measuring average traction forces per post under different confinement conditions and with myosin-II inhibition/activation.

Main Results:

  • Average traction forces per post decreased as channel confinement increased.
  • Inhibition of myosin-II reduced traction forces in wide channels but not confined ones.
  • Myosin-II activation increased traction forces in wide channels but had no effect in confined channels.

Conclusions:

  • The physical microenvironment significantly regulates cell migration and cellular traction forces.
  • Confined microenvironments alter the response of cell migration forces to myosin-II activity.