title: Single cell rigidity sensing: A complex relationship between focal adhesion dynamics and large-scale actin cytoskeleton remodeling.
abstract: Many physiological and pathological processes involve tissue cells sensing the rigidity of their environment. In general, tissue cells have been shown to react to the stiffness of their environment by regulating their level of contractility, and in turn applying traction forces on their environment to probe it. This mechanosensitive process can direct early cell adhesion, cell migration and even cell differentiation. These processes require the integration of signals over time and multiple length scales. Multiple strategies have been developed to understand force- and rigidity-sensing mechanisms and much effort has been concentrated on the study of cell adhesion complexes, such as focal adhesions, and cell cytoskeletons. Here, we review the major biophysical methods used for measuring cell-traction forces as well as the mechanosensitive processes that drive cellular responses to matrix rigidity on 2-dimensional substrates.
authors.affiliation: a Mechanobiology Institute (MBI) , National University of Singapore , Singapore.
authors.forename: Mukund
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.affiliation: a Mechanobiology Institute (MBI) , National University of Singapore , Singapore.
authors.forename: Bryant
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Doss
authors.affiliation: a Mechanobiology Institute (MBI) , National University of Singapore , Singapore.|b Department of Biomedical Engineering , Faculty of Engineering, National University of Singapore , Singapore.
authors.forename: Chwee Teck
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: c CNRS UMR 7600 , Université Pierre et Marie Curie , Paris , France.
authors.forename: Raphael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Voituriez
authors.affiliation: a Mechanobiology Institute (MBI) , National University of Singapore , Singapore.|d Institut Jacques Monod (IJM) , CNRS UMR 7592 & University Paris Diderot , Paris , France.
authors.forename: Benoit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ladoux
mesh_terms: D008841:Actin Cytoskeleton / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D022001:Focal Adhesions / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D040542:Mechanotransduction, Cellular; D008954:Models, Biological; D059010:Single-Cell Analysis / Q000379:methods*
keywords: actin cytoskeleton; focal adhesion; mechanosensing; substrate rigidity; traction force