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Controlling Intracellular Machinery via Polymer Pen Lithography Molecular Patterning
Millicent Lin1,2, Brian Meckes2,3, Chaojian Chen2,3
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, Illinois 60208, United States.
ACS Central Science
|October 3, 2022
Summary
Cellular uptake is regulated by actomyosin cytoskeleton tension. Nanoscopic ligand arrangements control this tension, influencing endocytosis pathways and reducing the uptake of molecules like cholera toxin (CTX) and spherical nucleic acids (SNAs).
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Biophysics
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- The plasma membrane and actomyosin cytoskeleton are crucial for cell-environment interactions.
- Myosin regulates plasma membrane tension, impacting endocytosis, but its role in actomyosin arrangement effects on endocytosis is unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how actomyosin arrangement regulates endocytosis.
- To determine if nanoscopic ligand arrangements can control actomyosin contractility and cell uptake.
Main Methods:
- Utilized polymer pen lithography (PPL) to create defined nanoscopic ligand arrangements.
- Employed confocal microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and flow cytometry to analyze cytoskeletal tension and cell uptake.
- Examined the uptake of cholera toxin (CTX) and spherical nucleic acids (SNAs).
Main Results:
- Nanoscopic ligand arrangements successfully controlled actomyosin contractility.
- Increased cytoskeletal tension reduced cellular uptake of CTX and SNAs.
- This reduction was linked to regulation of endocytic budding and formation of clathrin- and caveolae-coated pits.
Conclusions:
- Cellular endocytic fate is regulated by actomyosin mechanical forces.
- Subcellular cues, precisely controlled by PPL, can tune these forces to modulate endocytosis.
