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Tensional homeostasis in single fibroblasts.

Kevin D Webster1, Win Pin Ng2, Daniel A Fletcher3

  • 1Biophysics Graduate Group, University of California, Berkeley, California; Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, California.

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Single fibroblast cells do not maintain constant tension but instead buffer mechanical forces. Their contraction force adjusts to displacements in a strain-rate-dependent manner, enabling adaptation to different mechanical environments.

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Area of Science:

  • Cellular mechanics
  • Biophysics
  • Tissue engineering

Background:

  • Adherent cells use acto-myosin contraction for movement and sensing mechanical properties.
  • Tensional homeostasis, maintaining constant tension despite perturbations, is crucial for tissue organization and disease prevention.
  • The existence of tensional homeostasis at the single-cell level remains uncertain.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether single fibroblast cells exhibit tensional homeostasis.
  • To determine how single cells regulate tension when subjected to mechanical displacements.
  • To explore the role of strain rate and cell elasticity in tension regulation.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized feedback-controlled atomic force microscopy (AFM) to measure and control forces and displacements of single contracting fibroblast cells.
  • Cells were cultured on fibronectin-patterned AFM cantilevers and coverslips.
  • Investigated the influence of actin crosslinker α-actinin overexpression and performed rheology measurements.

Main Results:

  • Single fibroblasts did not maintain constant tension; instead, they exhibited tensional buffering.
  • Cellular contraction force and height reached a stable steady-state insensitive to substrate stiffness changes.
  • The cells' contractile force adjusted to mechanical displacement in a strain-rate-dependent manner.
  • Cellular elasticity was also found to be strain-rate-dependent.

Conclusions:

  • Single cells employ tensional buffering, not strict homeostasis, to manage mechanical forces.
  • This tensional buffering allows cells to adapt their force output based on the rate of mechanical displacement.
  • This adaptive mechanism is vital for distinct cellular responses to mechanical deformations during processes like tissue growth and injury.