title: Biomechanics of subcellular structures by non-invasive Brillouin microscopy.
abstract: Cellular biomechanics play a pivotal role in the pathophysiology of several diseases. Unfortunately, current methods to measure biomechanical properties are invasive and mostly limited to the surface of a cell. As a result, the mechanical behaviour of subcellular structures and organelles remains poorly characterised. Here, we show three-dimensional biomechanical images of single cells obtained with non-invasive, non-destructive Brillouin microscopy with an unprecedented spatial resolution. Our results quantify the longitudinal elastic modulus of subcellular structures. In particular, we found the nucleoli to be stiffer than both the nuclear envelope (p < 0.0001) and the surrounding cytoplasm (p < 0.0001). Moreover, we demonstrate the mechanical response of cells to Latrunculin-A, a drug that reduces cell stiffness by preventing cytoskeletal assembly. Our technique can therefore generate valuable insights into cellular biomechanics and its role in pathophysiology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Imperial College London, UK.|Centre for Life Nano Science@Sapienza, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Antonacci
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, Imperial College London, UK.
authors.forename: Sietse
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Braakman
mesh_terms: D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D019086:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic / Q000494:pharmacology; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D003593:Cytoplasm / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D055119:Elastic Modulus; D061307:Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional / Q000379:methods; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal / Q000379:methods*; D009685:Nuclear Envelope / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D059010:Single-Cell Analysis; D053778:Thiazolidines / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D019086:Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic; D053778:Thiazolidines; C037067:latrunculin A