title: Quantifying Tensile Force and ERK Phosphorylation on Actin Stress Fibers.
abstract: ERK associates with the actin cytoskeleton, and the actin-associated pool of ERK can be activated (phosphorylated in the activation loop) to induce specific cell responses. Increasing evidence has shown that mechanical conditions of cells significantly affect ERK activation. In particular, tension developed in the actin cytoskeleton has been implicated as a critical mechanism driving ERK signaling. However, a quantitative study of the relationship between actin tension and ERK phosphorylation is missing. In this chapter, we describe our novel methods to quantify tensile force and ERK phosphorylation on individual actin stress fibers. These methods have enabled us to show that ERK is activated on stress fibers in a tensile force-dependent manner.
authors.affiliation: Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117411, Singapore. hhirata@med.nagoya-u.ac.jp.|R-Pharm Japan and Mechanobiology Laboratory, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, 65 Tsurumai, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi, 466-8550, Japan. hhirata@med.nagoya-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hirata
authors.affiliation: Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117411, Singapore.
authors.forename: Mukund
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gupta
authors.affiliation: Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117411, Singapore.|L'oreal Research and Innovation, Singapore, 138648, Singapore.
authors.forename: Sri Ram Krishna
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Vedula
authors.affiliation: Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117411, Singapore.|Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117575, Singapore.|Department of Mechanical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117575, Singapore.
authors.forename: Chwee Teck
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117411, Singapore.|Institut Jacques Monod (IJM), CNRS UMR 7592, Paris, 75013, France.|Université Paris Diderot, Paris, 75013, France.
authors.forename: Benoit
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ladoux
authors.affiliation: Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117411, Singapore.|Mechanobiology Laboratory, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, 466-8550, Japan.
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sokabe
mesh_terms: D000199:Actins / Q000502:physiology*; D000465:Algorithms; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D040542:Mechanotransduction, Cellular; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D008954:Models, Biological; D024462:Myosin Type II / Q000378:metabolism; D010766:Phosphorylation; D022502:Stress Fibers / Q000378:metabolism*; D013718:Tensile Strength
chemical_list: D000199:Actins; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases; D024462:Myosin Type II
keywords: Actomyosin; Contractility; MAP kinase; Mechanical stretch; Mechanotransduction; Micropillar; Tension