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Updated: Jun 4, 2025

Analyzing Cell Surface Adhesion Remodeling in Response to Mechanical Tension Using Magnetic Beads
Published on: March 8, 2017
Conformational response of αIIbβ3 and αVβ3 integrins to force
Reza Kolasangiani1, Khashayar Farzanian2, Yunfeng Chen3
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA.
Abstract:
As major adhesion receptors, integrins transmit biochemical and mechanical signals across the plasma membrane. These functions are regulated by transitions between bent and extended conformations and modulated by force. To understand how force on integrins mediates cellular mechanosensing, we compared two highly homologous integrins, αIIbβ3 and αVβ3. These integrins, expressed in circulating platelets vs. solid tissues, respectively, share the β3 subunit, bind similar ligands and have similar bent and extended conformations. Here, we report that in cells expressing equivalent levels of each integrin, αIIbβ3 mediates spreading on softer substrates than αVβ3. These effects correlate with differences in structural dynamics of the two integrins under force. All-atom simulations show that αIIbβ3 is more flexible than αVβ3 due to correlated residue motions within the α subunit domains. Single molecule measurements confirm that αIIbβ3 extends faster than αVβ3. These results reveal a fundamental relationship between protein function and structural dynamics in cell mechanosensing.
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