Cell reorientation under cyclic stretching

Ariel Livne, Eran Bouchbinder and Benjamin Geiger ()
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Ariel Livne: Weizmann Institute of Science
Eran Bouchbinder: Weizmann Institute of Science
Benjamin Geiger: Weizmann Institute of Science

Nature Communications, 2014, vol. 5, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Mechanical cues from the extracellular microenvironment play a central role in regulating the structure, function and fate of living cells. Nevertheless, the precise nature of the mechanisms and processes underlying this crucial cellular mechanosensitivity remains a fundamental open problem. Here we provide a novel framework for addressing cellular sensitivity and response to external forces by experimentally and theoretically studying one of its most striking manifestations—cell reorientation to a uniform angle in response to cyclic stretching of the underlying substrate. We first show that existing approaches are incompatible with our extensive measurements of cell reorientation. We then propose a fundamentally new theory that shows that dissipative relaxation of the cell’s passively-stored, two-dimensional, elastic energy to its minimum actively drives the reorientation process. Our theory is in excellent quantitative agreement with the complete temporal reorientation dynamics of individual cells measured over a wide range of experimental conditions, thus elucidating a basic aspect of mechanosensitivity.

Date: 2014
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:natcom:v:5:y:2014:i:1:d:10.1038_ncomms4938

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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms4938

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