Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Tension Response at Adherens Junctions01:26

Tension Response at Adherens Junctions

2.7K
The adherens junctions that anchor cells together are multi-protein complexes that dynamically adapt to mechanical stimuli such as tensile forces and shear stress. Mechanosensory proteins in these junctions can sense such mechanical stimuli and undergo a shift in their conformation, resulting in an altered function — a process called mechanotransduction.
α-Catenin as a Mechanosensory Protein
The α-catenin of adherens junctions is an allosteric protein with three VH (vinculin...
2.7K
Cell Migration01:19

Cell Migration

4.9K
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.
4.9K
Mechanism of Lamellipodia Formation01:31

Mechanism of Lamellipodia Formation

2.6K
Cells migrating in response to external stimuli form lamellipodia, which are thin membrane protrusions supported by a mesh of linked, branched, or unbranched actin filaments. These actin filaments interact with myosin motor proteins, creating the dynamic actomyosin complex within the cytoskeleton. Contractility, or the ability to generate contractile stress, is inherent to the actomyosin complex. It helps cells detect the stiffness of the surrounding ECM and exert contractile force for...
2.6K
Cell Motility through Blebbing01:16

Cell Motility through Blebbing

1.9K
Blebs are a type of membrane protrusion formed by the internal hydrostatic pressure of the cytoplasm. Blebs are observed in several cell types, including fibroblasts, immune cells, and single-celled organisms like the amoeba. The primary function of blebs is cell locomotion and apoptosis, but they are also found during necrosis and cell division. The life cycle of a bleb comprises an initiation phase followed by the expansion and retraction phases.
Blebbing Through the Matrix
In multicellular...
1.9K
Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration01:32

Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration

4.8K
A migrating cell changes its shape during the cyclic events of attachment and detachment from the substratum and repositions the cell organelles correspondingly. These complex events are orchestrated by the dynamic cytoskeletal network comprising actin filaments, intermediate filaments, and microtubules. Cytoskeletal crosstalk — the direct and indirect communication between the different components — is crucial for this coordination. Direct communication involves various linker...
4.8K
Cell-matrix's Response to Mechanical Forces01:13

Cell-matrix's Response to Mechanical Forces

2.6K
In animal cells, the extracellular matrix allows cells within tissues to withstand external stresses and transmits signals from the outside of the cell to the inside. The extracellular matrix is extensive, and its composition varies between different types of tissues. For example, the reticular fibers and ground substance make up the ECM in loose connective tissue, while collagen and bone minerals make up the ECM of bone tissue. 
Anchoring junctions mechanically attach a cell to the...
2.6K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Patterns of appointment cancellations and no-shows across and within ophthalmology subspecialties.

Eye (London, England)·2026
Same author

Fluid Flow and Spatiotemporal Chaos in Chemically Active Emulsions.

Physical review letters·2026
Same author

Post-Marketing Ocular Adverse Events Associated with Tamoxifen and Raloxifene: A Population-Based Pharmacovigilance Study.

Retina (Philadelphia, Pa.)·2026
Same author

A minimal mechanically consistent model of smoothly dividing disk-shaped cells.

NPJ systems biology and applications·2026
Same author

Advancing mechanobiology from single molecules to complex cellular systems.

Nature nanotechnology·2026
Same author

Follow-up after cataract surgery: a cross-sectional survey of Canadian practice patterns at a large surgical centre.

Canadian journal of ophthalmology. Journal canadien d'ophtalmologie·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 11, 2025

High Throughput Traction Force Microscopy Using PDMS Reveals Dose-Dependent Effects of Transforming Growth Factor-β on the Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition
13:34

High Throughput Traction Force Microscopy Using PDMS Reveals Dose-Dependent Effects of Transforming Growth Factor-β on the Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition

Published on: June 1, 2019

9.5K

Random Traction Yielding Transition in Epithelial Tissues.

Aboutaleb Amiri1, Charlie Duclut1,2,3, Frank Jülicher1,4,5

  • 1Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Nöthnitzer Strasse 38, 01187 Dresden, Germany.

Physical Review Letters
|November 17, 2023
PubMed
Summary

Randomly oriented cell forces fluidize epithelial tissues at a critical force threshold. This transition shares scaling laws with amorphous solids but belongs to a distinct universality class, revealing a novel fluidization mechanism.

More Related Videos

Pattern Generation for Micropattern Traction Microscopy
09:26

Pattern Generation for Micropattern Traction Microscopy

Published on: February 17, 2022

2.3K
All-optical Mechanobiology Interrogation of Yes-associated Protein in Human Cancer and Normal Cells using a Multi-functional System
09:55

All-optical Mechanobiology Interrogation of Yes-associated Protein in Human Cancer and Normal Cells using a Multi-functional System

Published on: December 20, 2021

3.0K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 11, 2025

High Throughput Traction Force Microscopy Using PDMS Reveals Dose-Dependent Effects of Transforming Growth Factor-β on the Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition
13:34

High Throughput Traction Force Microscopy Using PDMS Reveals Dose-Dependent Effects of Transforming Growth Factor-β on the Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition

Published on: June 1, 2019

9.5K
Pattern Generation for Micropattern Traction Microscopy
09:26

Pattern Generation for Micropattern Traction Microscopy

Published on: February 17, 2022

2.3K
All-optical Mechanobiology Interrogation of Yes-associated Protein in Human Cancer and Normal Cells using a Multi-functional System
09:55

All-optical Mechanobiology Interrogation of Yes-associated Protein in Human Cancer and Normal Cells using a Multi-functional System

Published on: December 20, 2021

3.0K

Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Soft Matter Physics
  • Computational Biology

Background:

  • Epithelial tissues exhibit complex mechanical behaviors.
  • Cellular forces play a crucial role in tissue dynamics.
  • Understanding tissue fluidization is key to developmental biology and disease.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Investigate the mechanism of epithelial tissue fluidization driven by cell traction forces.
  • Characterize the critical behavior of this fluidization transition.
  • Determine the universality class of the transition.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a vertex model of epithelial tissues.
  • Simulated randomly oriented cell traction forces.
  • Analyzed the system's behavior at a critical force magnitude (Fc).

Main Results:

  • Identified a critical value (Fc) of traction force magnitude leading to tissue fluidization.
  • Observed critical behavior analogous to yielding transitions in sheared amorphous solids.
  • Demonstrated that this transition belongs to a different universality class despite shared scaling relations.

Conclusions:

  • Randomly oriented cell traction forces provide a mechanism for epithelial tissue fluidization.
  • The fluidization transition exhibits unique critical phenomena distinct from traditional yielding transitions.
  • Findings offer insights into active force generation in biological tissues.