title: Toward a generalised tensegrity model describing the mechanical behaviour of the cytoskeleton structure.
abstract: The control of many cell functions including growth, migration and mechanotransduction, depends crucially on stress-induced mechanical changes in cell shape and cytoskeleton (CSK) structure. Quantitative studies have been carried out on 6-bar tensegrity models to analyse several mechanical parameters involved in the mechanical responses of adherent cells (i.e. strain hardening, internal stress and scale effects). In the present study, we attempt to generalize some characteristic mechanical laws governing spherical tensegrity structures, with a view of evaluating the mechanical behaviour of the hierarchical multi-modular CSK-structure. The numerical results obtained by studying four different tensegrity models are presented in terms of power laws and point to the existence of unique and constant relationships between the overall structural stiffness and the local properties (length, number and internal stress) of the constitutive components.
authors.affiliation: CNRS UPR 7051, Laboratoire de Mécanique et d'Acoustique, Marseille, France.
authors.forename: Sylvie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wendling
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Cañadas
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chabrand
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological / Q000502:physiology; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000502:physiology*; D004548:Elasticity; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000502:physiology; D040542:Mechanotransduction, Cellular / Q000502:physiology; D008954:Models, Biological; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D016474:Weight-Bearing / Q000502:physiology*