title: Analyses of movement and contact of two nucleated cells using a gas-driven micropipette aspiration technique.
abstract: Adhesion between two nucleated cells undergoes specific significances in immune responses and tumor metastasis since cellular adhesive molecules usually express on two apposed cell membranes. However, quantification of the interactions between two nucleated cells is still challenging in microvasculature. Here distinct cell systems were used, including three types of human cells (Jurkat cell or PMN vs. MDA-MB-231 cell) and two kinds of murine native cells (PMN vs. liver sinusoidal endothelial cell). Cell movement, compression to, and relaxation from the counterpart cell were quantified using an in-house developed gas-driven micropipette aspiration technique (GDMAT). This assay is robust to quantify this process since cell movement and contact inside a pipette are independent of the repeated test cycles. Measured approaching or retraction velocity follows well a normal distribution, which is independent on the cycle period. Contact area or duration also fits a Gaussian distribution and moreover contact duration is linearly correlated with the cycle period. Cell movement is positively related to gas flux but negatively associated to medium viscosity. Cell adhesion tends to reach an equilibrium state with increase of cycle period or contact duration. These results further the understanding in the dynamics of cell movement and contact in microvasculature.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Microgravity (National Microgravity Laboratory), Center of Biomechanics and Bioengineering, and Beijing Key Laboratory of Engineered Construction and Mechanobiology, Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
authors.forename: Hao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Microgravity (National Microgravity Laboratory), Center of Biomechanics and Bioengineering, and Beijing Key Laboratory of Engineered Construction and Mechanobiology, Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
authors.forename: Chunfang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tong
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Microgravity (National Microgravity Laboratory), Center of Biomechanics and Bioengineering, and Beijing Key Laboratory of Engineered Construction and Mechanobiology, Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
authors.forename: Changliang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Microgravity (National Microgravity Laboratory), Center of Biomechanics and Bioengineering, and Beijing Key Laboratory of Engineered Construction and Mechanobiology, Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
authors.forename: Yanhong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Microgravity (National Microgravity Laboratory), Center of Biomechanics and Bioengineering, and Beijing Key Laboratory of Engineered Construction and Mechanobiology, Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
authors.forename: Xiaofeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Microgravity (National Microgravity Laboratory), Center of Biomechanics and Bioengineering, and Beijing Key Laboratory of Engineered Construction and Mechanobiology, Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
authors.forename: Qin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Microgravity (National Microgravity Laboratory), Center of Biomechanics and Bioengineering, and Beijing Key Laboratory of Engineered Construction and Mechanobiology, Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Microgravity (National Microgravity Laboratory), Center of Biomechanics and Bioengineering, and Beijing Key Laboratory of Engineered Construction and Mechanobiology, Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
authors.forename: Shouqin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lü
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Microgravity (National Microgravity Laboratory), Center of Biomechanics and Bioengineering, and Beijing Key Laboratory of Engineered Construction and Mechanobiology, Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China.
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Microgravity (National Microgravity Laboratory), Center of Biomechanics and Bioengineering, and Beijing Key Laboratory of Engineered Construction and Mechanobiology, Institute of Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100190, China. Electronic address: mlong@imech.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Mian
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Long
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002465:Cell Movement; D003584:Cytological Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods*; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology; D005740:Gases; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008846:Micromanipulation / Q000295:instrumentation*; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D005740:Gases
keywords: Adhesion; Contact; Movement; Nucleated cells; Pipette