Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 12, 2026
08:28
Measurement of Force-Sensitive Protein Dynamics in Living Cells Using a Combination of Fluorescent Techniques
Published on: November 2, 2018
8.8K
Vinculin Force-Sensitive Dynamics at Focal Adhesions Enable Effective Directed Cell Migration
Katheryn E Rothenberg1, David W Scott2, Nicolas Christoforou1
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Biophysical Journal
|April 12, 2018
Summary
This study reveals how vinculin, a key cell adhesion protein, changes its mechanical state and dynamics under force. Understanding these force-sensitive dynamics is crucial for cell migration and mechanical integration.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Biophysics
- Mechanobiology
Background:
- Cell migration is essential for development and disease, involving complex force transmission and adhesion dynamics.
- Vinculin is a critical mechanosensitive protein at cell adhesions, but its dynamic regulation by force remains unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mechanical regulation of vinculin dynamics at cell adhesions.
- To understand how vinculin's force-dependent states influence cell migration.
Main Methods:
- Paired Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based tension sensing and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) to measure vinculin load and dynamics in living cells.
- Manipulated vinculin-talin/actin binding and cytoskeletal contractility.
Main Results:
- Vinculin exhibits diverse mechanical states at adhesions, with load and dynamics influenced by binding partners and cytoskeletal tension.
- A force-stabilized vinculin state is dispensable for random migration but essential for directed migration along cues.
Conclusions:
- Force-sensitive vinculin dynamics are critical for regulating force transmission and integrating subcellular processes during cell migration.
- Regulation of force-sensitive protein dynamics may play a significant, underappreciated role in various cellular functions.
More Related Videos
10:57Examining the Dynamics of Cellular Adhesion and Spreading of Epithelial Cells on Fibronectin During Oxidative Stress
Published on: October 13, 2019
8.0K
11:16In Vitro Investigation of the Effects of the Hyaluronan-Rich Extracellular Matrix on Neural Crest Cell Migration
Published on: February 10, 2023
1.5K
Related Concept Videos
01:17Intracellular Signaling Affects Focal Adhesions
3.6K
Integrins act both as extracellular input receivers and as intracellular processing activators. As their name suggests, integrins are entirely integrated into the membrane structure. Their hydrophobic membrane-spanning regions interact with the phospholipid bilayer's hydrophobic region. These membrane receptors provide extracellular attachment sites for effectors like hormones and growth factors. They activate intracellular response cascades when their effectors are bound and active.
Some...
Some...
3.6K
01:21Chemotaxis and Direction of Cell Migration
5.4K
Cells can detect chemical cues in their environment and reorganize the cytoskeleton to migrate toward them or away from them. This directional migration, called chemotaxis, is essential during embryogenesis and development, immune response, tissue repair and regeneration, and reproduction. These chemical cues can either attract or repel the cell's movement. For example, axon development is determined by a combination of chemoattractants and chemorepellents that direct the growing axon...
5.4K
01:14Adhesion
44.6K
Adhesion occurs when one type of molecule is attracted to a different molecule. Water exhibits adhesive properties in the presence of polar surfaces, such as glass or cellulose in plants. For instance, when water is poured into a glass, the positively charged hydrogen molecules of water are more attracted to the negatively charged oxygen molecules in the silica than to the oxygen in neighboring water molecules.
Capillary action is a result of water’s adhesive tendencies. When a narrow...
Capillary action is a result of water’s adhesive tendencies. When a narrow...
44.6K
01:19Cell Migration
6.7K
Cell migration is a process by which the cells move from one location to another, playing an essential role in embryological development, repair and regeneration, immune response, and metastasis. Cells migrate in response to chemical or mechanical signals generated by specific organs or tissues. The overall mechanism includes three steps - polarization, protrusion, and release. Polarization involves the formation of a distinct cell front and rear, which determines the direction of movement.
6.7K
01:09Cell Migration
18.9K
Cell migration, the process by which cells move from one location to another, is essential for the proper development and viability of organisms throughout their life. When cells are not able to migrate properly to their ordained locations, various disorders may occur. For example, disruption in cell migration causes chronic inflammatory diseases such as arthritis.
18.9K
01:14Cell Adhesion in Plants
3.4K
Plants have rigid cell walls that are made up of cell wall polysaccharides that mediate cell-cell adhesion. The primary cell walls of plants consist of two independent and interacting polysaccharide networks: a pectin matrix that embeds the second network comprising cellulose and hemicelluloses.
Pectins are complex heteropolymers mainly composed of negatively-charged α-D-glucopyranosyl uronic acid and some neutral glycosyl residues such as α-L-rhamnopyranose, α-L-arabinofuranose,...
Pectins are complex heteropolymers mainly composed of negatively-charged α-D-glucopyranosyl uronic acid and some neutral glycosyl residues such as α-L-rhamnopyranose, α-L-arabinofuranose,...
3.4K