title: High-Frequency Mechanostimulation of Cell Adhesion.
abstract: Cell adhesion is regulated by molecularly defined protein interactions and by mechanical forces, which can activate a dynamic restructuring of adhesion sites. Previous attempts to explore the response of cell adhesion to forces have been limited to applying mechanical stimuli that involve the cytoskeleton. In contrast, we here apply a new, oscillatory type of stimulus through push-pull azobenzenes. Push-pull azobenzenes perform a high-frequency, molecular oscillation upon irradiation with visible light that has frequently been applied in polymer surface relief grating. We here use these oscillations to address single adhesion receptors. The effect of molecular oscillatory forces on cell adhesion has been analyzed using single-cell force spectroscopy and gene expression studies. Our experiments demonstrate a reinforcement of cell adhesion as well as upregulated expression levels of adhesion-associated genes as a result of the nanoscale "tickling" of integrins. This novel type of mechanical stimulus provides a previously unprecedented molecular control of cellular mechanosensing.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Materials Science, University of Kiel, Kaiserstr. 2, 24143, Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Laith F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Kadem
authors.affiliation: Otto-Diels-Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Kiel, Otto-Hahn-Platz 4, Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: K Grace
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Suana
authors.affiliation: Otto-Diels-Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Kiel, Otto-Hahn-Platz 4, Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Holz
authors.affiliation: Institute of Materials Science, University of Kiel, Kaiserstr. 2, 24143, Kiel, Germany.|High Magnetic Field Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 230031, Hefei, Anhui, China.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Materials Science, University of Kiel, Kaiserstr. 2, 24143, Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Hannes
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Westerhaus
authors.affiliation: Otto-Diels-Institute of Organic Chemistry, University of Kiel, Otto-Hahn-Platz 4, Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-6396-6991
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Herges
authors.affiliation: Institute of Materials Science, University of Kiel, Kaiserstr. 2, 24143, Kiel, Germany.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5051-4822
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Selhuber-Unkel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001391:Azo Compounds / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002460:Cell Line; D016023:Integrins / Q000378:metabolism*; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force / Q000379:methods; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D059010:Single-Cell Analysis / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D001391:Azo Compounds; D016023:Integrins; D010456:Peptides, Cyclic; C099250:cyclic (arginyl-glycyl-aspartyl-phenylalanyl-lysyl); C009850:azobenzene
keywords: azobenzene; cell adhesion; integrins; mechanosensing; single-cell force spectroscopy