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Protrusion Force Microscopy: A Method to Quantify Forces Developed by Cell Protrusions

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Published on: June 16, 2018

Nanonet Force Microscopy for Measuring Cell Forces.

Kevin Sheets¹, Ji Wang¹, Wei Zhao²

¹Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia.

Biophysical Journal

|July 14, 2016

Summary

Cells sense and respond to their fibrous environment by modulating internal forces, with external forces influencing cell-fiber adhesion but not the cell

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Area of Science:

Cellular Mechanobiology
Biophysics
Materials Science

Background:

Cellular responses to physical forces (shape, migration, cytoskeleton) are crucial.
Cells sense external fibrous environments, modulating internal forces (inside-out).
Previous work showed cells respond to fiber curvature and stiffness.

Purpose of the Study:

Develop and apply a nanonet platform to measure C2C11 mouse myoblast forces on fibers.
Investigate cell adhesion forces under symmetric/asymmetric external perturbations.
Extend the platform to study cell-cell junctions, drug effects, and cancer cell morphology.

Main Methods:

Utilized a suspended nanonet force microscopy platform.
Measured forces of C2C11 myoblasts attached to fibers of varying diameters (250-800 nm).
Applied single and cyclic external perturbations in symmetric and asymmetric modes.

Main Results:

Inside-out forces are edge-distributed and dependent on fiber structural stiffness.
External perturbations biased cell-fiber failure location but not outside-in adhesion forces.
Platform extended to measure forces in cell-cell junctions, drug-treated cells, and transitioning cancer cells.

Conclusions:

Cellular contractility is sensitive to the mechanical properties of the extracellular fibrous environment.
External mechanical cues direct cell-fiber detachment sites without altering adhesion strength.
The nanonet platform offers a versatile tool for probing cellular forces in diverse biological contexts.