Serine phosphorylation on position 1033 of vinculin impacts cellular mechanics

This study evaluates the influence of S1033 vinculin phosphorylation on the mechanical properties of cells. We demonstrate that MEFvcl KO cells transfected with the non-phosphorylatable eGFP-vinculin mutant S1033A are of lower stiffness compared to MEFvcl Rescue and phospho-mimicking mutant S1033D cells, which were of similar stiffness. Analogous, 2D traction microscopy indicates that MEFvcl Rescue and MEF mutant S1033D cells generate similar strain energy, but mutant S1033A cells display ∼50% less strain energy. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching demonstrates that the recovery time for mutant S1033A was significantly lower compared to MEFvcl Rescue and mutant S1033D and that the mobile fraction was smaller for MEFvcl Rescue and mutant S1033D than for mutant S1033A cells. This indicates that serine phosphorylation is required for the activation of vinculin and force transmission in focal adhesions.