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High-resolution Imaging of Nuclear Dynamics in Live Cells under Uniaxial Tensile Strain
Published on: June 2, 2019
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A high throughput approach for analysis of cell nuclear deformability at single cell level
Menekse Ermis1,2, Derya Akkaynak3, Pu Chen4
1BIOMATEN, METU Centre of Excellence in Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering, 06800, Ankara, Turkey.
Scientific Reports
|November 15, 2016
Summary
Nuclear elasticity, crucial for cell functions, can be assessed by quantifying nuclear morphology changes on 3-D substrates. This method distinguishes cancer cells from non-cancerous cells based on nuclear stiffness.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Cell Biology
- Biomaterials Engineering
Background:
- Nuclear elasticity is vital for physiological and pathological cellular processes, including differentiation, migration, and metastasis.
- Nuclear morphology serves as a direct indicator of nuclear elasticity and deformability.
- Assessing nuclear mechanical properties is crucial for understanding cell behavior and disease states.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate a method for quantifying nuclear elasticity by analyzing nuclear morphology changes on 3-D substrates with defined topography.
- To investigate the relationship between substrate topography, cellular/nuclear morphology, and nuclear elasticity.
- To establish nuclear stiffness as a physical parameter for differentiating cell types, particularly cancer versus non-cancerous cells.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of 3-D cell culture substrates using soft lithography with micron-sized pillars of varying aspect ratios and dimensions.
- Culturing cells on these engineered substrates to induce morphological changes.
- Development of a high-content image analysis algorithm to quantify single-cell nuclear morphology.
- Correlation of morphological changes with nuclear elasticity and deformability.
Main Results:
- Defined topographical cues on 3-D substrates effectively altered cellular and nuclear morphology.
- The image analysis algorithm accurately quantified nuclear morphological changes at the single-cell level.
- Nuclear stiffness was successfully used as a physical parameter to distinguish between cancer cells and non-cancerous cells from the same tissue type.
- The proposed methodology demonstrated potential for large-scale mechanical characterization of cell populations.
Conclusions:
- Quantification of nuclear morphology changes on 3-D substrates provides a reliable method to assess nuclear elasticity and deformability.
- Nuclear stiffness serves as a valuable physical biomarker for cell characterization, including cancer detection and classification.
- This approach complements traditional mechanical testing methods, offering a high-throughput alternative for studying cell mechanics.
