title: Three-dimensional traction force microscopy of engineered epithelial tissues.
abstract: Several biological processes, including cell migration, tissue morphogenesis, and cancer metastasis, are fundamentally physical in nature; each implicitly involves deformations driven by mechanical forces. Traction force microscopy (TFM) was initially developed to quantify the forces exerted by individual isolated cells in two-dimensional (2D) culture. Here, we extend this technique to estimate the traction forces generated by engineered three-dimensional (3D) epithelial tissues embedded within a surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM). This technique provides insight into the physical mechanisms that underlie tissue morphogenesis in 3D.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Princeton University, 303 Hoyt Laboratory, William Street, Princeton, NJ, 08544, USA.
authors.forename: Alexandra S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Piotrowski
authors.forename: Victor D
authors.initials: VD
authors.lastname: Varner
authors.forename: Nikolce
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gjorevski
authors.forename: Celeste M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Nelson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004129:Dimethylpolysiloxanes / Q000737:chemistry; D004848:Epithelium / Q000502:physiology*; D005453:Fluorescence; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force; D008863:Microspheres; D009024:Morphogenesis; D059008:Time-Lapse Imaging; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D004129:Dimethylpolysiloxanes