title: Optical volume and mass measurements show that mammalian cells swell during mitosis.
abstract: The extent, mechanism, and function of cell volume changes during specific cellular events, such as cell migration and cell division, have been poorly studied, mostly because of a lack of adequate techniques. Here we unambiguously report that a large range of mammalian cell types display a significant increase in volume during mitosis (up to 30%). We further show that this increase in volume is tightly linked to the mitotic state of the cell and not to its spread or rounded shape and is independent of the presence of an intact actomyosin cortex. Importantly, this volume increase is not accompanied by an increase in dry mass and thus corresponds to a decrease in cell density. This mitotic swelling might have important consequences for mitotic progression: it might contribute to produce strong pushing forces, allowing mitotic cells to round up; it might also, by lowering cytoplasmic density, contribute to the large change of physicochemical properties observed in mitotic cells.
authors.affiliation: UMR 144, Institut Curie, Centre de Recherche, 75005 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Zlotek-Zlotkiewicz
authors.affiliation: UMR 144, Institut Curie, Centre de Recherche, 75005 Paris, France UMR 168, Institut Curie, Centre de Recherche, 75005 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Sylvain
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Monnier
authors.affiliation: UMR 168, Institut Curie, Centre de Recherche, 75005 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cappello
authors.affiliation: UMR 144, Institut Curie, Centre de Recherche, 75005 Paris, France.
authors.forename: Mael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Le Berre
authors.affiliation: UMR 144, Institut Curie, Centre de Recherche, 75005 Paris, France mael.leberre@curie.fr matthieu.piel@curie.fr.
authors.forename: Matthieu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Piel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D048430:Cell Shape; D048429:Cell Size; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008938:Mitosis