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Primary cilia mechanics affects cell mechanosensation: A computational study
Hanifeh Khayyeri1, Sara Barreto2, Damien Lacroix2
1INSIGNEO - Institute for in silico medicine, Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Sir Frederick Mappin Building, Mappin Street, Sheffield S1 3JD, United Kingdom; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
Journal of Theoretical Biology
|May 10, 2015
Summary
Primary cilia (PC) mechanics are crucial for cell mechanosensation. Their length and stiffness transmit mechanical stimuli, influencing cellular responses to fluid flow and potentially altering cell sensitivity.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Biophysics
- Mechanobiology
Background:
- Primary cilia (PC) are cellular appendages that sense biomechanical cues.
- The precise role of PC mechanical properties in cell mechanosensation remains incompletely understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how primary cilia's mechanical characteristics influence mechanotransduction.
- To determine how PC mechanics transmit mechanical signals to internal cell structures under fluid flow.
Main Methods:
- A computational finite element model of a cell and flow chamber was developed.
- Fluid-structure interaction analysis simulated 1mm/s perfusion flow on the cell model.
- Simulations varied PC mechanical properties (length, stiffness) to assess their impact.
Main Results:
- PC length and stiffness are key in transmitting mechanical stimuli to the cytoskeleton.
- Fluid flow caused maximal strain at the PC base and in the cytoplasm.
- PC deflection strained the nucleus but had minimal impact on microtubules and actin bundles.
Conclusions:
- Primary cilia deflection transmits mechanical strain to cytoplasmic organelles like the Golgi complex, regulating cellular mechanoresponse.
- Cell mechanosensitivity can be modulated by altering primary cilia length and rigidity.
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