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Directional Cell Migration Guided by a Strain Gradient.

Feiyu Yang1,2, Pengcheng Chen3, Han Jiang1

  • 1Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA.

Small (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)
|September 22, 2023
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Cells can sense and move along strain gradients, a newly discovered directional cue. This finding, distinct from other known cell migration triggers, offers new insights into development and tissue repair.

Keywords:
cell stretching devicesfocal adhesionmechanotransductionmotor-clutch modelsingle cell migrationstrain gradienttensotaxistraction force

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Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Biophysics
  • Mechanobiology

Background:

  • Directional cell migration is crucial for development and physiology.
  • Cells respond to various environmental cues like chemicals, rigidity, and topography.
  • The role of strain gradients in directing cell migration remains largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if strain gradients alone can induce directional cell migration.
  • To develop a system for creating controlled strain gradients.
  • To elucidate the underlying mechanisms of strain-gradient-driven cell migration.

Main Methods:

  • Development of a programmable uniaxial cell stretch device to create defined strain gradients.
  • Observation of single rat embryonic fibroblast migration under static and cyclic strain conditions.
  • Analysis of focal adhesions and computational modeling (2D extended motor-clutch model).

Main Results:

  • Over 60% of fibroblasts migrated towards the lower strain side under applied strain gradients.
  • This migration was independent of substrate stiffness (durotaxis) and ligand distribution (haptotaxis).
  • Focal adhesion analysis revealed increased contact area and protrusion formation on the lower strain side, driven by strain-induced traction forces.

Conclusions:

  • Strain gradients represent a novel physical cue that effectively regulates directional cell migration.
  • The study provides a mechanistic understanding involving traction forces and integrin dynamics.
  • Findings offer new perspectives for understanding developmental processes and advancing tissue repair strategies.