title: Real-time single-cell response to stiffness.
abstract: Living cells adapt to the stiffness of their environment. However, cell response to stiffness is mainly thought to be initiated by the deformation of adhesion complexes under applied force. In order to determine whether cell response was triggered by stiffness or force, we have developed a unique method allowing us to tune, in real time, the effective stiffness experienced by a single living cell in a uniaxial traction geometry. In these conditions, the rate of traction force buildup dF/dt was adapted to stiffness in less than 0.1 s. This integrated fast response was unambiguously triggered by stiffness, and not by force. It suggests that early cell response could be mechanical in nature. In fact, local force-dependent signaling through adhesion complexes could be triggered and coordinated by the instantaneous cell-scale adaptation of dF/dt to stiffness. Remarkably, the effective stiffness method presented here can be implemented on any mechanical setup. Thus, beyond single-cell mechanosensing, this method should be useful to determine the role of rigidity in many fundamental phenomena such as morphogenesis and development.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Matière et Systèmes Complexes, Unité Mixte de Recherche 7057, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and Université Paris-Diderot, CC7056, 10, Rue A. Domont et L. Duquet, 75205 Paris Cedex 13, France.
authors.forename: Démosthène
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mitrossilis
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fouchard
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Postic
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Richert
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saint-Jean
authors.forename: Atef
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Asnacios
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D055592:Biophysical Phenomena; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000502:physiology; D002460:Cell Line; D004548:Elasticity / Q000502:physiology; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000502:physiology; D005353:Fibronectins / Q000502:physiology; D040542:Mechanotransduction, Cellular / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D018485:Muscle Fibers, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000502:physiology; D055672:Static Electricity; D013314:Stress, Mechanical
chemical_list: D005353:Fibronectins
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