Cytoskeletal mechanics in adherent human airway smooth muscle cells: probe specificity and scaling of protein-protein dynamics

Use of human airway smooth muscle in vitro and ex vivo to investigate drugs for the treatment of chronic obstructive respiratory disorders

Isolated airway smooth muscle has been extensively investigated since 1840 to understand the pharmacology of airway diseases. There has often been poor predictability from murine experiments to drugs evaluated in patients with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the use of isolated human airways represents a sensible strategy to optimise the development of innovative molecules for the treatment of respiratory diseases. This review aims to provide updated evidence on the current uses of isolated human airways in validated in vitro methods to investigate drugs in development for the treatment of chronic obstructive respiratory disorders. This review also provides historical notes on the pioneering pharmacological research on isolated human airway tissues, the key differences between human and animal airways, as well as the pivotal differences between human medium bronchi and small airways. Experiments carried out with isolated human bronchial tissues in vitro and ex vivo replicate many of the main anatomical, pathophysiological, mechanical and immunological characteristics of patients with asthma or COPD. In vitro models of asthma and COPD using isolated human airways can provide information that is directly translatable into humans with obstructive lung diseases. Regardless of the technique used to investigate drugs for the treatment of chronic obstructive respiratory disorders (i.e., isolated organ bath systems, videomicroscopy and wire myography), the most limiting factors to produce high-quality and repeatable data remain closely tied to the manual skills of the researcher conducting experiments and the availability of suitable tissue.

A life off the beaten track in biomechanics: Imperfect elasticity, cytoskeletal glassiness, and epithelial unjamming

Textbook descriptions of elasticity, viscosity, and viscoelasticity fail to account for certain mechanical behaviors that typify soft living matter. Here, we consider three examples. First, strong empirical evidence suggests that within lung parenchymal tissues, the frictional stresses expressed at the microscale are fundamentally not of viscous origin. Second, the cytoskeleton (CSK) of the airway smooth muscle cell, as well as that of all eukaryotic cells, is more solid-like than fluid-like, yet its elastic modulus is softer than the softest of soft rubbers by a factor of 104-105. Moreover, the eukaryotic CSK expresses power law rheology, innate malleability, and fluidization when sheared. For these reasons, taken together, the CSK of the living eukaryotic cell is reminiscent of the class of materials called soft glasses, thus likening it to inert materials such as clays, pastes slurries, emulsions, and foams. Third, the cellular collective comprising a confluent epithelial layer can become solid-like and jammed, fluid-like and unjammed, or something in between. Esoteric though each may seem, these discoveries are consequential insofar as they impact our understanding of bronchospasm and wound healing as well as cancer cell invasion and embryonic development. Moreover, there are reasons to suspect that certain of these phenomena first arose in the early protist as a result of evolutionary pressures exerted by the primordial microenvironment. We have hypothesized, further, that each then became passed down virtually unchanged to the present day as a conserved core process. These topics are addressed here not only because they are interesting but also because they track the journey of one laboratory along a path less traveled by.

Dynamic actin cross-linking governs the cytoplasm's transition to fluid-like behavior

Cells precisely control their mechanical properties to organize and differentiate into tissues. The architecture and connectivity of cytoskeletal filaments change in response to mechanical and biochemical cues, allowing the cell to rapidly tune its mechanics from highly cross-linked, elastic networks to weakly cross-linked viscous networks. While the role of actin cross-linking in controlling actin network mechanics is well-characterized in purified actin networks, its mechanical role in the cytoplasm of living cells remains unknown. Here, we probe the frequency-dependent intracellular viscoelastic properties of living cells using multifrequency excitation and in situ optical trap calibration. At long timescales in the intracellular environment, we observe that the cytoskeleton becomes fluid-like. The mechanics are well-captured by a model in which actin filaments are dynamically connected by a single dominant cross-linker. A disease-causing point mutation (K255E) of the actin cross-linker α-actinin 4 (ACTN4) causes its binding kinetics to be insensitive to tension. Under normal conditions, the viscoelastic properties of wild-type (WT) and K255E+/- cells are similar. However, when tension is reduced through myosin II inhibition, WT cells relax 3× faster to the fluid-like regime while K255E+/- cells are not affected. These results indicate that dynamic actin cross-linking enables the cytoplasm to flow at long timescales.

Dissecting fat-tailed fluctuations in the cytoskeleton with active micropost arrays

The ability of animal cells to crawl, change their shape, and respond to applied force is due to their cytoskeleton: A dynamic, cross-linked network of actin protein filaments and myosin motors. How these building blocks assemble to give rise to cells' mechanics and behavior remains poorly understood. Using active micropost array detectors containing magnetic actuators, we have characterized the mechanics and fluctuations of cells' actomyosin cortex and stress fiber network in detail. Here, we find that both structures display remarkably consistent power law viscoelastic behavior along with highly intermittent fluctuations with fat-tailed distributions of amplitudes. Notably, this motion in the cortex is dominated by occasional large, step-like displacement events, with a spatial extent of several micrometers. Overall, our findings for the cortex appear contrary to the predictions of a recent active gel model, while suggesting that different actomyosin contractile units act in a highly collective and cooperative manner. We hypothesize that cells' actomyosin components robustly self-organize into marginally stable, plastic networks that give cells' their unique biomechanical properties.

Biomechanical Characterization at the Cell Scale: Present and Prospects

The rapidly growing field of mechanobiology demands for robust and reproducible characterization of cell mechanical properties. Recent achievements in understanding the mechanical regulation of cell fate largely rely on technological platforms capable of probing the mechanical response of living cells and their physico–chemical interaction with the microenvironment. Besides the established family of atomic force microscopy (AFM) based methods, other approaches include optical, magnetic, and acoustic tweezers, as well as sensing substrates that take advantage of biomaterials chemistry and microfabrication techniques. In this review, we introduce the available methods with an emphasis on the most recent advances, and we discuss the challenges associated with their implementation.

TGFβ1 reinforces arterial aging in the vascular smooth muscle cell through a long-range regulation of the cytoskeletal stiffness

Here we report exquisitely distinct material properties of primary vascular smooth muscle (VSM) cells isolated from the thoracic aorta of adult (8 months) vs. aged (30 months) F344XBN rats. Individual VSM cells derived from the aged animals showed a tense internal network of the actin cytoskeleton (CSK), exhibiting increased stiffness (elastic) and frictional (loss) moduli than those derived from the adult animals over a wide frequency range of the imposed oscillatory deformation. This discrete mechanical response was long-lived in culture and persistent across a physiological range of matrix rigidity. Strikingly, the pro-fibrotic transforming growth factor β1 (TGFβ1) emerged as a specific modifier of age-associated VSM stiffening in vitro. TGFβ1 reinforced the mechanical phenotype of arterial aging in VSM cells on multiple time and length scales through clustering of mechanosensitive α₅β₁ and α_vβ₃ integrins. Taken together, these studies identify a novel nodal point for the long-range regulation of VSM stiffness and serve as a proof-of-concept that the broad-based inhibition of TGFβ1 expression, or TGFβ1 signal transduction in VSM, may be a useful therapeutic approach to mitigate the pathologic progression of central arterial wall stiffening associated with aging.

Mechanical Evaluation of Tracheal Grafts on Different Scales

Tissue engineered (or bioengineered) tracheas are alternative options under investigation when the resection with end-to-end anastomosis cannot be performed. One approach to develop bioengineered tracheas is a complex process that involves the use of decellularized tissue scaffolds, followed by recellularization in custom-made tracheal bioreactors. Tracheas withstand pressure variations and their biomechanics are of great importance so that they do not collapse during respiration, although there has been no preferred method of mechanical assay of tracheas among several laboratories over the years. These methods have been performed in segments or whole tracheas and in different species of mammals. This article aims to present some methods used by different research laboratories to evaluate the mechanics of tracheal grafts and presents the importance of the tracheal biomechanics in both macro and micro scales. If bioengineered tracheas become a reality in hospitals in the next few years, the standardization of biomechanical parameters will be necessary for greater consistency of results before transplantations.

Nano- and microparticles at fluid and biological interfaces

Systems with interfaces are abundant in both technological applications and biology. While a fluid interface separates two fluids, membranes separate the inside of vesicles from the outside, the interior of biological cells from the environment, and compartmentalize cells into organelles. The physical properties of interfaces are characterized by interface tension, those of membranes are characterized by bending and stretching elasticity. Amphiphilic molecules like surfactants that are added to a system with two immiscible fluids decrease the interface tension and induce a bending rigidity. Lipid bilayer membranes of vesicles can be stretched or compressed by osmotic pressure; in biological cells, also the presence of a cytoskeleton can induce membrane tension. If the thickness of the interface or the membrane is small compared with its lateral extension, both can be described using two-dimensional mathematical surfaces embedded in three-dimensional space. We review recent work on the interaction of particles with interfaces and membranes. This can be micrometer-sized particles at interfaces that stabilise emulsions or form colloidosomes, as well as typically nanometer-sized particles at membranes, such as viruses, parasites, and engineered drug delivery systems. In both cases, we first discuss the interaction of single particles with interfaces and membranes, e.g. particles in external fields, non-spherical particles, and particles at curved interfaces, followed by interface-mediated interaction between two particles, many-particle interactions, interface and membrane curvature-induced phenomena, and applications.

Temporal Variation in Single-Cell Power-Law Rheology Spans the Ensemble Variation of Cell Population

Changes in the cytoskeletal organization within cells can be characterized by large spatial and temporal variations in rheological properties of the cell (e.g., the complex shear modulus G^∗). Although the ensemble variation in G^∗ of single cells has been elucidated, the detailed temporal variation of G^∗ remains unknown. In this study, we investigated how the rheological properties of individual fibroblast cells change under a spatially confined environment in which the cell translational motion is highly restricted and the whole cell shape remains unchanged. The temporal evolution of single-cell rheology was probed at the same measurement location within the cell, using atomic force microscopy-based oscillatory deformation. The measurements reveal that the temporal variation in the power-law rheology of cells is quantitatively consistent with the ensemble variation, indicating that the cell system satisfies an ergodic hypothesis in which the temporal statistics are identical to the ensemble statistics. The autocorrelation of G^∗ implies that the cell mechanical state evolves in the ensemble of possible states with a characteristic timescale.

Interfacing 3D magnetic twisting cytometry with confocal fluorescence microscopy to image force responses in living cells

Cells and tissues can undergo a variety of biological and structural changes in response to mechanical forces. Only a few existing techniques are available for quantification of structural changes at high resolution in response to forces applied along different directions. 3D-magnetic twisting cytometry (3D-MTC) is a technique for applying local mechanical stresses to living cells. Here we describe a protocol for interfacing 3D-MTC with confocal fluorescence microscopy. In 3D-MTC, ferromagnetic beads are bound to the cell surface via surface receptors, followed by their magnetization in any desired direction. A magnetic twisting field in a different direction is then applied to generate rotational shear stresses in any desired direction. This protocol describes how to combine magnetic-field-induced mechanical stimulation with confocal fluorescence microscopy and provides an optional extension for super-resolution imaging using stimulated emission depletion (STED) nanoscopy. This technology allows for rapid real-time acquisition of a living cell's mechanical responses to forces via specific receptors and for quantifying structural and biochemical changes in the same cell using confocal fluorescence microscopy or STED. The integrated 3D-MTC-microscopy platform takes ∼20 d to construct, and the experimental procedures require ∼4 d when carried out by a life sciences graduate student.

The actin regulator zyxin reinforces airway smooth muscle and accumulates in airways of fatal asthmatics

Bronchospasm induced in non-asthmatic human subjects can be easily reversed by a deep inspiration (DI) whereas bronchospasm that occurs spontaneously in asthmatic subjects cannot. This physiological effect of a DI has been attributed to the manner in which a DI causes airway smooth muscle (ASM) cells to stretch, but underlying molecular mechanisms-and their failure in asthma-remain obscure. Using cells and tissues from wild type and zyxin-/- mice we report responses to a transient stretch of physiologic magnitude and duration. At the level of the cytoskeleton, zyxin facilitated repair at sites of stress fiber fragmentation. At the level of the isolated ASM cell, zyxin facilitated recovery of contractile force. Finally, at the level of the small airway embedded with a precision cut lung slice, zyxin slowed airway dilation. Thus, at each level zyxin stabilized ASM structure and contractile properties at current muscle length. Furthermore, when we examined tissue samples from humans who died as the result of an asthma attack, we found increased accumulation of zyxin compared with non-asthmatics and asthmatics who died of other causes. Together, these data suggest a biophysical role for zyxin in fatal asthma.

Non-equilibrium cytoquake dynamics in cytoskeletal remodeling and stabilization

The cytoskeleton (CSK) is a tensed fiber framework that supports, shapes and stabilizes the cell. The CSK is in a constant state of remodeling, moreover, which is an active non-equilibrium thermodynamic process. We report here that cytoskeletal remodeling involves reconfigurations that are not only sudden but also are transmitted to great distances within the cell in a fashion reminiscent of quakes in the Earth's crust. Remarkably, these events in the cell conform both qualitatively and quantitatively to empirical laws typical of earthquakes, including hierarchical fault structures, cumulative energy distributions following the Gutenberg-Richter law, and rate of after-shocks following Omori's law. While it is well-established that remodeling and stabilization of the cytoskeleton are non-equilibrium process, these new unanticipated observations establish that these processes are also remarkably non-local and strongly cooperative.

Implementation and application of a novel 2D magnetic twisting cytometry based on multi-pole electromagnet

We implemented a novel 2D magnetic twisting cytometry (MTC) based on a previously reported multi-pole high permeability electromagnet, in which both the strength and direction of the twisting field can be controlled. Thanks to the high performance twisting electromagnet and the heterodyning technology, the measurement frequency has been extended to the 1 kHz range. In order to obtain high remanence of the ferromagnetic beads, a separate electromagnet with feedback control was adopted for the high magnetic field polarization. Our setup constitutes the first instrument which can be operated both in MTC mode and in magnetic tweezers (MT) mode. In this work, the mechanical properties of HL-1 cardiomyocytes were characterized in MTC mode. Both anisotropy and log-normal distribution of cell stiffness were observed, which agree with our previous results measured in MT mode. The response from these living cells at different frequencies can be fitted very well by the soft glassy rheology model.

Investigating cell mechanics with atomic force microscopy

Transmission of mechanical force is crucial for normal cell development and functioning. However, the process of mechanotransduction cannot be studied in isolation from cell mechanics. Thus, in order to understand how cells 'feel', we must first understand how they deform and recover from physical perturbations. Owing to its versatility, atomic force microscopy (AFM) has become a popular tool to study intrinsic cellular mechanical properties. Used to directly manipulate and examine whole and subcellular reactions, AFM allows for top-down and reconstitutive approaches to mechanical characterization. These studies show that the responses of cells and their components are complex, and largely depend on the magnitude and time scale of loading. In this review, we generally describe the mechanotransductive process through discussion of well-known mechanosensors. We then focus on discussion of recent examples where AFM is used to specifically probe the elastic and inelastic responses of single cells undergoing deformation. We present a brief overview of classical and current models often used to characterize observed cellular phenomena in response to force. Both simple mechanistic models and complex nonlinear models have been used to describe the observed cellular behaviours, however a unifying description of cell mechanics has not yet been resolved.

Chemoenvironmental modulators of fluidity in the suspended biological cell

Biological cells can be characterized as "soft matter" with mechanical characteristics potentially modulated by external cues such as pharmaceutical dosage or fever temperature. Further, quantifying the effects of chemical and physical stimuli on a cell's mechanical response informs models of living cells as complex materials. Here, we investigate the mechanical behavior of single biological cells in terms of fluidity, or mechanical hysteresivity normalized to the extremes of an elastic solid or a viscous liquid. This parameter, which complements stiffness when describing whole-cell viscoelastic response, can be determined for a suspended cell within subsecond times. Questions remain, however, about the origin of fluidity as a conserved parameter across timescales, the physical interpretation of its magnitude, and its potential use for high-throughput sorting and separation of interesting cells by mechanical means. Therefore, we exposed suspended CH27 lymphoma cells to various chemoenvironmental conditions--temperature, pharmacological agents, pH, and osmolarity--and measured cell fluidity with a non-contact technique to extend familiarity with suspended-cell mechanics in the context of both soft-matter physics and mechanical flow cytometry development. The actin-cytoskeleton-disassembling drug latrunculin exacted a large effect on mechanical behavior, amenable to dose-dependence analysis of coupled changes in fluidity and stiffness. Fluidity was minimally affected by pH changes from 6.5 to 8.5, but strongly modulated by osmotic challenge to the cell, where the range spanned halfway from solid to liquid behavior. Together, these results support the interpretation of fluidity as a reciprocal friction within the actin cytoskeleton, with implications both for cytoskeletal models and for expectations when separating interesting cell subpopulations by mechanical means in the suspended state.

Matrix softness regulates plasticity of tumour-repopulating cells via H3K9 demethylation and Sox2 expression

Tumour-repopulating cells (TRCs) are a self-renewing, tumorigenic subpopulation of cancer cells critical in cancer progression. However, the underlying mechanisms of how TRCs maintain their self-renewing capability remain elusive. Here we show that relatively undifferentiated melanoma TRCs exhibit plasticity in Cdc42-mediated mechanical stiffening, histone 3 lysine residue 9 (H3K9) methylation, Sox2 expression and self-renewal capability. In contrast to differentiated melanoma cells, TRCs have a low level of H3K9 methylation that is unresponsive to matrix stiffness or applied forces. Silencing H3K9 methyltransferase G9a or SUV39h1 elevates the self-renewal capability of differentiated melanoma cells in a Sox2-dependent manner. Mechanistically, H3K9 methylation at the Sox2 promoter region inhibits Sox2 expression that is essential in maintaining self-renewal and tumorigenicity of TRCs both in vitro and in vivo. Taken together, our data suggest that 3D soft-fibrin-matrix-mediated cell softening, H3K9 demethylation and Sox2 gene expression are essential in regulating TRC self-renewal.

Soft 3D gels can promote the growth of tumour-repopulating cells, a self-renewing subpopulation of cancer cells critical in cancer progression. Here, the authors investigate the mechanism behind this phenomenon and show that the histone 3 lysine residue 9 methylation and Sox2 are controlling this process.

Mechanical fluidity of fully suspended biological cells

Mechanical characteristics of single biological cells are used to identify and possibly leverage interesting differences among cells or cell populations. Fluidity-hysteresivity normalized to the extremes of an elastic solid or a viscous liquid-can be extracted from, and compared among, multiple rheological measurements of cells: creep compliance versus time, complex modulus versus frequency, and phase lag versus frequency. With multiple strategies available for acquisition of this nondimensional property, fluidity may serve as a useful and robust parameter for distinguishing cell populations, and for understanding the physical origins of deformability in soft matter. Here, for three disparate eukaryotic cell types deformed in the suspended state via optical stretching, we examine the dependence of fluidity on chemical and environmental influences at a timescale of ∼1 s. We find that fluidity estimates are consistent in the time and frequency domains under a structural damping (power-law or fractional-derivative) model, but not under an equivalent-complexity, lumped-component (spring-dashpot) model; the latter predicts spurious time constants. Although fluidity is suppressed by chemical cross-linking, we find that ATP depletion in the cell does not measurably alter the parameter, and we thus conclude that active ATP-driven events are not a crucial enabler of fluidity during linear viscoelastic deformation of a suspended cell. Finally, by using the capacity of optical stretching to produce near-instantaneous increases in cell temperature, we establish that fluidity increases with temperature-now measured in a fully suspended, sortable cell without the complicating factor of cell-substratum adhesion.

Quantifying cell-to-cell variation in power-law rheology

Among individual cells of the same source and type, the complex shear modulus G(∗) exhibits a large log-normal distribution that is the result of spatial, temporal, and intrinsic variations. Such large distributions complicate the statistical evaluation of pharmacological treatments and the comparison of different cell states. However, little is known about the characteristic features of cell-to-cell variation. In this study, we investigated how this variation depends on the spatial location within the cell and on the actin filament cytoskeleton, the organization of which strongly influences cell mechanics. By mechanically probing fibroblasts arranged on a microarray, via atomic force microscopy, we observed that the standard deviation σ of G(∗) was significantly reduced among cells in which actin filaments were depolymerized. The parameter σ also exhibited a subcellular spatial dependence. Based on our findings regarding the frequency dependence of σ of the storage modulus G('), we proposed two types of cell-to-cell variation in G(') that arise from the purely elastic and the frequency-dependent components in terms of the soft glassy rheology model of cell deformability. We concluded that the latter inherent cell-to-cell variation can be reduced greatly by disrupting actin networks, by probing at locations within the cell nucleus boundaries distant from the cell center, and by measuring at high loading frequencies.

Changes in cytoskeletal dynamics and nonlinear rheology with metastatic ability in cancer cell lines

Metastatic outcome is impacted by the biophysical state of the primary tumor cell. To determine if changes in cancer cell biophysical properties facilitate metastasis, we quantified cytoskeletal biophysics in well-characterized human skin, bladder, prostate and kidney cell line pairs that differ in metastatic ability. Using magnetic twisting cytometry with optical detection, cytoskeletal dynamics was observed through spontaneous motion of surface bound marker beads and nonlinear rheology was characterized through large amplitude forced oscillations of probe beads. Measurements of cytoskeletal dynamics and nonlinear rheology differed between strongly and weakly metastatic cells. However, no set of biophysical parameters changed systematically with metastatic ability across all cell lines. Compared to their weakly metastatic counterparts, the strongly metastatic kidney cancer cells exhibited both increased cytoskeletal dynamics and stiffness at large deformation which are thought to facilitate the process of vascular invasion.

Cytoskeletal stiffness, friction, and fluidity of cancer cell lines with different metastatic potential

We quantified mechanical properties of cancer cells differing in metastatic potential. These cells included normal and H-ras-transformed NIH3T3 fibroblast cells, normal and oncoprotein-overexpressing MCF10A breast cancer cells, and weakly and strongly metastatic cancer cell line pairs originating from human cancers of the skin (A375P and A375SM cells), kidney (SN12C and SN12PM6 cells), prostate (PC3M and PC3MLN4 cells), and bladder (253J and 253JB5 cells). Using magnetic twisting cytometry, cytoskeletal stiffness (g') and internal friction (g″) were measured over a wide frequency range. The dependencies of g' and g″ upon frequency were used to determine the power law exponent x which is a direct measure of cytoskeletal fluidity and quantifies where the cytoskeleton resides along the spectrum of solid-like (x = 1) to fluid-like (x = 2) states. Cytoskeletal fluidity x increased following transformation by H-ras oncogene expression in NIH3T3 cells, overexpression of ErbB2 and 14-3-3-ζ in MCF10A cells, and implantation and growth of PC3M and 253J cells in the prostate and bladder, respectively. Each of these perturbations that had previously been shown to enhance cancer cell motility and invasion are shown here to shift the cytoskeleton towards a more fluid-like state. In contrast, strongly metastatic A375SM and SN12PM6 cells that disseminate by lodging in the microcirculation of peripheral organs had smaller x than did their weakly metastatic cell line pairs A375P and SN12C, respectively. Thus, enhanced hematological dissemination was associated with decreased x and a shift towards a more solid-like cytoskeleton. Taken together, these results are consistent with the notion that adaptations known to enhance metastatic ability in cancer cell lines define a spectrum of fluid-like versus solid-like states, and the position of the cancer cell within this spectrum may be a determinant of cancer progression.

Duration of microbead seeding on endothelial cells significantly affects their response to magnetic excitation

Our investigation of endothelial cell rheology using optical magnetic twisting cytometry revealed that with time following incubation of ferromagnetic beads on the cells, beads were sinking into the cells and an increasing number of beads demonstrated apparent absurd negative rheological properties. In parallel, the beads' average rheological response changed considerably over time, both in magnitude and in distribution. It was hypothesized that the apparent negative rheological response was related to the above sinking process of seeded beads into the cells, resulting in an elevation of the beads' rotation axis, thus causing a reversal of the beads' lateral movement direction in response to twisting external magnetic excitation. The results suggest that microbead-based rheological characterization of cells should be interpreted with caution, while considering the time of data acquisition.

Low intensity ultrasound perturbs cytoskeleton dynamics

Therapeutic ultrasound is widely employed in clinical applications but its mechanism of action remains unclear. Here we report prompt fluidization of a cell and dramatic acceleration of its remodeling dynamics when exposed to low intensity ultrasound. These physical changes are caused by very small strains (10^-5) at ultrasonic frequencies (10⁶ Hz), but are closely analogous to those caused by relatively large strains (10^-1) at physiological frequencies (10⁰ Hz). Moreover, these changes are reminiscent of rejuvenation and aging phenomena that are well-established in certain soft inert materials. As such, we suggest cytoskeletal fluidization together with resulting acceleration of cytoskeletal remodeling events as a mechanism contributing to the salutary effects of low intensity therapeutic ultrasound.

Mechanical responsiveness of the endothelial cell of Schlemm's canal: scope, variability and its potential role in controlling aqueous humour outflow

Primary open-angle glaucoma is associated with elevated intraocular pressure, which in turn is believed to result from impaired outflow of aqueous humour. Aqueous humour outflow passes mainly through the trabecular meshwork (TM) and then through pores formed in the endothelium of Schlemm's canal (SC), which experiences a basal-to-apical pressure gradient. This gradient dramatically deforms the SC endothelial cell and potentially contributes to the formation of those pores. However, mechanical properties of the SC cell are poorly defined. Using optical magnetic twisting cytometry and traction force microscopy, here we characterize the mechanical properties of primary cultures of the human SC cell, and for the first time, the scope of their changes in response to pharmacological agents that are known to modulate outflow resistance. Lysophosphatidic acid, sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) and thrombin caused an increase in cell stiffness by up to 200 per cent, whereas in most cell strains, exposure to latrunculin A, isoproterenol, dibutryl cyclic-AMP or Y-27632 caused a decrease in cell stiffness by up to 80 per cent, highlighting that SC cells possess a remarkably wide contractile scope. Drug responses were variable across donors. S1P, for example, caused 200 per cent stiffening in one donor strain but only 20 per cent stiffening in another. Isoproterenol caused dose-dependent softening in three donor strains but little or no response in two others, a finding mirrored by changes in traction forces and consistent with the level of expression of β(2)-adrenergic receptors. Despite donor variability, those drugs that typically increase outflow resistance systematically caused cell stiffness to increase, while in most cases, those drugs that typically decrease outflow resistance caused cell stiffness to decrease. These findings establish the endothelial cell of SC as a reactive but variable mechanical component of the aqueous humour outflow pathway. Although the mechanism and locus of increased outflow resistance remain unclear, these data suggest the SC endothelial cell to be a modulator of outflow resistance.

Dynamics of the cytoskeleton: how much does water matter?

The principal constituent of the living cell is water. The role of the hydration shell and bulk H(2)O solvent is well recognized in the dynamics of isolated proteins, but the role of water in the dynamics of the integrated living cytoskeleton (CSK) remains obscure. Here we report a direct connection of dynamics of water to dynamics of the integrated CSK. The latter are known to be scale-free and to hinge upon a frequency f(0) that is roughly invariant across cell types. Although f(0) is comparable in magnitude to the rotational relaxation frequency of water (gigahertz range), the physical basis of f(0) remains unknown. Using the human airway smooth muscle cell as a model system, we show here that replacing water acutely with deuterium oxide impacts CSK dynamics in major ways, slowing CSK remodeling dynamics appreciably, and lowering f(0) by up to four orders of magnitude. Although these observations do not distinguish contributions of bulk solvent versus hydration shell, they suggest a unifying hypothesis, namely, that dynamics of integrated CSK networks are slaved in a direct fashion to fluctuations arising in intracellular water.

High- and low-frequency mechanical properties of living starfish oocytes

We studied the mechanical properties of living starfish oocytes belonging to two species, Astropecten Auranciacus and Asterina pectinifera, over a wide range of timescales. We monitored the Brownian motion of microspheres injected in the cytoplasm using laser particle-tracking (LPT) and video multiple-particle-tracking (MPT) techniques, to explore high- and low-frequency response ranges, respectively. The analysis of the mean-square-displacements (MSD) allowed us to characterize the samples on different timescales. The MSD behavior is explained by three power-law exponents: for short times (τ < 1 ms) it reflects the semiflexible behavior of the actin network; for intermediate timescales (1 ms < τ < 1 s) it is similar to that of a soft-glass material; finally for long times (τ > 1 s) it behaves mainly like a viscous medium. We computed and compared the viscoelastic moduli using a recently proposed model describing the frequency response of the cell material. The large fluctuations found in the MSD over hundreds of trajectories indicate and confirm the significant cytoplasm heterogeneity.

Mesenchymal stem cell mechanics from the attached to the suspended state

Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are therapeutically useful cells that are typically expanded in vitro on stiff substrata before reimplantation. Here we explore MSC mechanical and structural changes via atomic force microscopy and optical stretching during extended passaging, and we demonstrate that cytoskeletal organization and mechanical stiffness of attached MSC populations are strongly modulated over >15 population doublings in vitro. Cytoskeletal actin networks exhibit significant coarsening, attendant with decreasing average mechanical compliance and differentiation potential of these cells, although expression of molecular surface markers does not significantly decline. These mechanical changes are not observed in the suspended state, indicating that the changes manifest themselves as alterations in stress fiber arrangement rather than cortical cytoskeleton arrangement. Additionally, optical stretching is capable of investigating a previously unquantified structural transition: remodeling-induced stiffening over tens of minutes after adherent cells are suspended. Finally, we find that optically stretched hMSCs exhibit power-law rheology during both loading and recovery; this evidence appears to be the first to originate from a biophysical measurement technique not involving cell-probe or cell-substratum contact. Together, these quantitative assessments of attached and suspended MSCs define the extremes of the extracellular environment while probing intracellular mechanisms that contribute to cell mechanical response.

Stretch magnitude and frequency-dependent actin cytoskeleton remodeling in alveolar epithelia

Alveolar epithelial cells (AEC) maintain integrity of the blood-gas barrier with gasket-like intercellular tight junctions (TJ) that are anchored internally to the actin cytoskeleton. We hypothesize that stretch rapidly reorganizes actin (<10 min) into a perijunctional actin ring (PJAR) in a manner that is dependent on magnitude and frequency of the stretch, accompanied by spontaneous movement of actin-anchored receptors at the plasma membrane. Primary AEC monolayers were stretched biaxially to create a change in surface area (DeltaSA) of 12%, 25%, or 37% in a cyclic manner at 0.25 Hz for up to 60 min, or held tonic at 25% DeltaSA for up to 60 min, or left unstretched. By 10 min of stretch PJARs were evident in 25% and 37% DeltaSA at 0.25 Hz, but not for 12% DeltaSA at 0.25 Hz, or at tonic 25% DeltaSA, or with no stretch. Treatment with 1 muM jasplakinolide abolished stretch-induced PJAR formation, however. As a rough index of remodeling rate, we measured spontaneous motions of 5-mum microbeads bound to actin focal adhesion complexes on the apical membrane surfaces; within 1 min of exposure to DeltaSA of 25% and 37%, these motions increased substantially, increased with increasing stretch frequency, and were consistent with our mechanistic hypothesis. With a tonic stretch, however, the spontaneous motion of microbeads attenuated back to unstretched levels, whereas PJAR remained unchanged. Stretch did not increase spontaneous microbead motion in human alveolar epithelial adenocarcinoma A549 monolayers, confirming that this actin remodeling response to stretch was a cell-type specific response. In summary, stretch of primary rat AEC monolayers forms PJARs and rapidly reorganized actin binding sites at the plasma membrane in a manner dependent on stretch magnitude and frequency.

Mapping the cytoskeletal prestress

Cell mechanical properties on a whole cell basis have been widely studied, whereas local intracellular variations have been less well characterized and are poorly understood. To fill this gap, here we provide detailed intracellular maps of regional cytoskeleton (CSK) stiffness, loss tangent, and rate of structural rearrangements, as well as their relationships to the underlying regional F-actin density and the local cytoskeletal prestress. In the human airway smooth muscle cell, we used micropatterning to minimize geometric variation. We measured the local cell stiffness and loss tangent with optical magnetic twisting cytometry and the local rate of CSK remodeling with spontaneous displacements of a CSK-bound bead. We also measured traction distributions with traction microscopy and cell geometry with atomic force microscopy. On the basis of these experimental observations, we used finite element methods to map for the first time the regional distribution of intracellular prestress. Compared with the cell center or edges, cell corners were systematically stiffer and more fluidlike and supported higher traction forces, and at the same time had slower remodeling dynamics. Local remodeling dynamics had a close inverse relationship with local cell stiffness. The principal finding, however, is that systematic regional variations of CSK stiffness correlated only poorly with regional F-actin density but strongly and linearly with the regional prestress. Taken together, these findings in the intact cell comprise the most comprehensive characterization to date of regional variations of cytoskeletal mechanical properties and their determinants.

Cell mechanics: dissecting the physical responses of cells to force

It is now widely appreciated that normal tissue morphology and function rely upon cells' ability to sense and generate forces appropriate to their correct tissue context. Although the effects of forces on cells have been studied for decades, our understanding of how those forces propagate through and act on different cell substructures remains at an early stage. The past decade has seen a resurgence of interest, with a variety of different micromechanical methods in current use that probe cells' dynamic deformation in response to a time-varying force. The ability of researchers to carefully measure the mechanical properties of cells subjected to a variety of pharmacological and genetic interventions, however, currently outstrips our ability to quantitatively interpret the data in many cases. Despite these challenges, the stage is now set for the development of detailed models for cell deformability, motility, and mechanosensing that are rooted at the molecular level.

Modulation of host cell mechanics by Trypanosoma cruzi

To investigate the effects of Trypanosoma cruzi on the mechanical properties of infected host cells, cytoskeletal stiffness and remodeling dynamics were measured in parasite-infected fibroblasts. We find that cell stiffness decreases in a time-dependent fashion in T. cruzi-infected human foreskin fibroblasts without a significant change in the dynamics of cytoskeletal remodeling. In contrast, cells exposed to T. cruzi secreted/released components become significantly stiffer within 2 h of exposure and exhibit increased remodeling dynamics. These findings represent the first direct mechanical data to suggest a physical picture in which an intact, stiff, and rapidly remodeling cytoskeleton facilitates early stages of T. cruzi invasion and parasite retention, followed by subsequent softening and disassembly of the cytoskeleton to accommodate intracellular replication of parasites. We further suggest that these changes occur through protein kinase A and inhibition of the Rho/Rho kinase signaling pathway. In the context of tissue infection, changes in host cell mechanics could adversely affect the function of the infected organs, and may play an important role on the pathophysiology of Chagas' disease.

Airway smooth muscle and bronchospasm: fluctuating, fluidizing, freezing

We review here four recent findings that have altered in a fundamental way our understanding of airways smooth muscle (ASM), its dynamic responses to physiological loading, and their dominant mechanical role in bronchospasm. These findings highlight ASM remodeling processes that are innately out-of-equilibrium and dynamic, and bring to the forefront a striking intersection between topics in condensed matter physics and ASM cytoskeletal biology. By doing so, they place in a new light the role of enhanced ASM mass in airway hyper-responsiveness as well as in the failure of a deep inspiration to relax the asthmatic airway. These findings have established that (i) ASM length is equilibrated dynamically, not statically; (ii) ASM dynamics closely resemble physical features exhibited by so-called soft glassy materials; (iii) static force-length relationships fail to describe dynamically contracted ASM states; (iv) stretch fluidizes the ASM cytoskeleton. Taken together, these observations suggest that at the origin of the bronchodilatory effect of a deep inspiration, and its failure in asthma, may lie glassy dynamics of the ASM cell.

High throughput system for magnetic manipulation of cells, polymers, and biomaterials

In the past decade, high throughput screening (HTS) has changed the way biochemical assays are performed, but manipulation and mechanical measurement of micro- and nanoscale systems have not benefited from this trend. Techniques using microbeads (particles approximately 0.1-10 mum) show promise for enabling high throughput mechanical measurements of microscopic systems. We demonstrate instrumentation to magnetically drive microbeads in a biocompatible, multiwell magnetic force system. It is based on commercial HTS standards and is scalable to 96 wells. Cells can be cultured in this magnetic high throughput system (MHTS). The MHTS can apply independently controlled forces to 16 specimen wells. Force calibrations demonstrate forces in excess of 1 nN, predicted force saturation as a function of pole material, and powerlaw dependence of F approximately r(-2.7+/-0.1). We employ this system to measure the stiffness of SR2+ Drosophila cells. MHTS technology is a key step toward a high throughput screening system for micro- and nanoscale biophysical experiments.

Airway smooth muscle cell tone amplifies contractile function in the presence of chronic cyclic strain

Chronic contractile activation, or tone, in asthma coupled with continuous stretching due to breathing may be involved in altering the contractile function of airway smooth muscle (ASM). Previously, we (11) showed that cytoskeletal remodeling and stiffening responses to acute (2 h) localized stresses were modulated by the level of contractile activation of ASM. Here, we investigated if altered contractility in response to chronic mechanical strain was dependent on repeated modulation of contractile tone. Cultured human ASM cells received 5% cyclic (0.3 Hz), predominantly uniaxial strain for 5 days, with once-daily dosing of either sham, forskolin, carbachol, or histamine to alter tone. Stiffness, contractility (KCl), and "relaxability" (forskolin) were then measured as was cell alignment, myosin light-chain phosphorylation (pMLC), and myosin light-chain kinase (MLCK) content. Cells became aligned and baseline stiffness increased with strain, but repeated lowering of tone inhibited both effects (P < 0.05). Strain also reversed a negative tone-modulation dependence of MLCK, observed in static conditions in agreement with previous reports, with strain and tone together increasing both MLCK and pMLC. Furthermore, contractility increased 176% (SE 59) with repeated tone elevation. These findings indicate that with strain, and not without, repeated tone elevation promoted contractile function through changes in cytoskeletal organization and increased contractile protein. The ability of repeated contractile activation to increase contractility, but only with mechanical stretching, suggests a novel mechanism for increased ASM contractility in asthma and for the role of continuous bronchodilator and corticosteroid therapy in reversing airway hyperresponsiveness.

Cell mechanics of alveolar epithelial cells (AECs) and macrophages (AMs)

Cell mechanics provides an integrated view of many biological phenomena which are intimately related to cell structure and function. Because breathing constitutes a sustained motion synonymous with life, pulmonary cells are normally designed to support permanent cyclic stretch without breaking, while receiving mechanical cues from their environment. The authors study the mechanical responses of alveolar cells, namely epithelial cells and macrophages, exposed to well-controlled mechanical stress in order to understand pulmonary cell response and function. They discuss the principle, advantages and limits of a cytoskeleton-specific micromanipulation technique, magnetic bead twisting cytometry, potentially applicable in vivo. They also compare the pertinence of various models (e.g., rheological; power law) used to extract cell mechanical properties and discuss cell stress/strain hardening properties and cell dynamic response in relation to the structural tensegrity model. Overall, alveolar cells provide a pertinent model to study the biological processes governing cellular response to controlled stress or strain.

Mechanical model of cytoskeleton structuration during cell adhesion and spreading

The biomechanical behavior of an adherent cell is intimately dependent on its cytoskeleton structure. Several models have been proposed to study this structure taking into account its existing internal forces. However, the structural and geometrical complexities of the cytoskeleton's filamentous networks lead to difficulties for determining a biologically realistic architecture. The objective of this paper is to present a mechanical model, combined with a numerical method, devoted to the form-finding of the cytoskeleton structure (shape and internal forces) when a cell adheres on a substrate. The cell is modeled as a granular medium, using rigid spheres (grains) corresponding to intracellular cross-linking proteins and distant mechanical interactions to reproduce the cytoskeleton filament internal forces. At the initial state (i.e., before adhesion), these interactions are tacit. The adhesion phenomenon is then simulated by considering microtubules growing from the centrosome towards transmembrane integrin-like receptors. The simulated cell shape changes in this process and results in a mechanically equilibrated structure with traction and compression forces, in interaction with the substrate reactions. This leads to a compressive microtubule network and a corresponding tensile actin-filament network. The results provide coherent shape and forces information for developing a mechanical model of the cytoskeleton structure, which can be exploitable in future biomechanical studies of adherent cells.

Rapid signal transduction in living cells is a unique feature of mechanotransduction

It is widely postulated that mechanotransduction is initiated at the local force-membrane interface by inducing local conformational changes of proteins, similar to soluble ligand-induced signal transduction. However, all published reports are limited in time scale to address this fundamental issue. Using a FRET-based cytosolic Src reporter in a living cell, we quantified changes of Src activities as a local stress via activated integrins was applied. The stress induced rapid (<0.3 s) activation of Src at remote cytoplasmic sites, which depends on the cytoskeletal prestress. In contrast, there was no Src activation within 12 s of soluble epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulation. A 1.8-Pa stress over a focal adhesion activated Src to the same extent as 0.4 ng/ml EGF at long times (minutes), and the energy levels for mechanical stimulation and chemical stimulation were comparable. The effect of both stress and EGF was less than additive. Nanometer-scale cytoskeletal deformation analyses revealed that the strong activation sites of Src by stress colocalized with large deformation sites of microtubules, suggesting that microtubules are essential structures for transmitting stresses to activate cytoplasmic proteins. These results demonstrate that rapid signal transduction via the prestressed cytoskeleton is a unique feature of mechanotransduction.

Biophysical basis for airway hyperresponsiveness

Airway hyperresponsiveness is the excessive narrowing of the airway lumen caused by stimuli that would cause little or no narrowing in the normal individual. It is one of the cardinal features of asthma, but its mechanisms remain unexplained. In asthma, the key end-effector of acute airway narrowing is contraction of the airway smooth muscle cell that is driven by myosin motors exerting their mechanical effects within an integrated cytoskeletal scaffolding. In just the past few years, however, our understanding of the rules that govern muscle biophysics has dramatically changed, as has their classical relationship to airway mechanics. It has become well established, for example, that muscle length is equilibrated dynamically rather than statically, and that in a dynamic setting nonclassical features of muscle biophysics come to the forefront, including unanticipated interactions between the muscle and its time-varying load, as well as the ability of the muscle cell to adapt (remodel) its internal microstructure rapidly in response to its ever-changing mechanical environment. Here, we consider some of these emerging concepts and, in particular, focus on structural remodeling of the airway smooth muscle cell as it relates to excessive airway narrowing in asthma.

Cell mechanics: integrating cell responses to mechanical stimuli

Forces are increasingly recognized as major regulators of cell structure and function, and the mechanical properties of cells are essential to the mechanisms by which cells sense forces, transmit them to the cell interior or to other cells, and transduce them into chemical signals that impact a spectrum of cellular responses. Comparison of the mechanical properties of intact cells with those of the purified cytoskeletal biopolymers that are thought to dominate their elasticity reveal the extent to which the studies of purified systems can account for the mechanical properties of the much more heterogeneous and complex cell. This review summarizes selected aspects of current work on cell mechanics with an emphasis on the structures that are activated in cell-cell contacts, that regulate ion flow across the plasma membrane, and that may sense fluid flow that produces low levels of shear stress.

Estimation of cell Young's modulus of adherent cells probed by optical and magnetic tweezers: influence of cell thickness and bead immersion

A precise characterization of cell elastic properties is crucial for understanding the mechanisms by which cells sense mechanical stimuli and how these factors alter cellular functions. Optical and magnetic tweezers are micromanipulation techniques which are widely used for quantifying the stiffness of adherent cells from their response to an external force applied on a bead partially embedded within the cell cortex. However, the relationships between imposed external force and resulting bead translation or rotation obtained from these experimental techniques only characterize the apparent cell stiffness. Indeed, the value of the estimated apparent cell stiffness integrates the effect of different geometrical parameters, the most important being the bead embedding angle 2gamma, bead radius R, and cell height h. In this paper, a three-dimensional finite element analysis was used to compute the cell mechanical response to applied force in tweezer experiments and to explicit the correcting functions which have to be used in order to infer the intrinsic cell Young's modulus from the apparent elasticity modulus. Our analysis, performed for an extensive set of values of gamma, h, and R, shows that the most relevant parameters for computing the correcting functions are the embedding half angle gamma and the ratio h(u)/2R, where h(u) is the under bead cell thickness. This paper provides original analytical expressions of these correcting functions as well as the critical values of the cell thickness below which corrections of the apparent modulus are necessary to get an accurate value of cell Young's modulus. Moreover, considering these results and taking benefit of previous results obtained on the estimation of cell Young's modulus of adherent cells probed by magnetic twisting cytometry (MTC) (Ohayon, J., and Tracqui, P., 2005, Ann. Biomed. Eng., 33, pp. 131-141), we were able to clarify and to solve the still unexplained discrepancies reported between estimations of elasticity modulus performed on the same cell type and probed with MTC and optical tweezers (OT). More generally, this study may strengthen the applicability of optical and magnetic tweezers techniques by insuring a more precise estimation of the intrinsic cell Young's modulus (CYM).

Out-of-equilibrium dynamics in the cytoskeleton of the living cell

We report here measurements of rheological properties of the human airway smooth muscle cell using forced nanoscale motions of Arg-Gly-Asp RGD-coated microbeads tightly bound to the cytoskeleton. With changes of forcing amplitude, the storage modulus showed small but systematic nonlinearities, especially after treatment with a contractile agonist. In a dose-dependent manner, a large oscillatory shear applied from a few seconds up to 400 s caused the cytoskeleton matrix to soften, a behavior comparable to physical rejuvenation observed in certain inert soft materials; the stiffness remained constant for as long as the large oscillatory shear was maintained, but suddenly fell with shear cessation. Stiffness then followed a slow scale-free recovery, a phenomenon comparable to physical aging. However, acetylated low-density lipoprotein acLDL-coated microbeads, which connect mainly to scavenger receptors, did not show similar out-of-equilibrium behaviors. Taken together, these data demonstrate in the cytoskeleton of the living cell behaviors with all the same signatures as that of soft inert condensed systems. This unexpected intersection of condensed matter physics and cytoskeletal biology suggests that trapping, intermittency, and approach to kinetic arrest represent central mesoscale features linking underlying molecular events to integrative cellular functions.

Mechano-coupling and regulation of contractility by the vinculin tail domain

Vinculin binds to multiple focal adhesion and cytoskeletal proteins and has been implicated in transmitting mechanical forces between the actin cytoskeleton and integrins or cadherins. It remains unclear to what extent the mechano-coupling function of vinculin also involves signaling mechanisms. We report the effect of vinculin and its head and tail domains on force transfer across cell adhesions and the generation of contractile forces. The creep modulus and the adhesion forces of F9 mouse embryonic carcinoma cells (wild-type), vinculin knock-out cells (vinculin −/−), and vinculin −/− cells expressing either the vinculin head domain, tail domain, or full-length vinculin (rescue) were measured using magnetic tweezers on fibronectin-coated super-paramagnetic beads. Forces of up to 10 nN were applied to the beads. Vinculin −/− cells and tail cells showed a slightly higher incidence of bead detachment at large forces. Compared to wild-type, cell stiffness was reduced in vinculin −/− and head cells and was restored in tail and rescue cells. In all cell lines, the cell stiffness increased by a factor of 1.3 for each doubling in force. The power-law exponent of the creep modulus was force-independent and did not differ between cell lines. Importantly, cell tractions due to contractile forces were suppressed markedly in vinculin −/− and head cells, whereas tail cells generated tractions similar to the wild-type and rescue cells. These data demonstrate that vinculin contributes to the mechanical stability under large external forces by regulating contractile stress generation. Furthermore, the regulatory function resides in the tail domain of vinculin containing the paxillin-binding site.

Mechanics of single cells: rheology, time dependence, and fluctuations

The results of mechanical measurements on single cultured epithelial cells using both magnetic twisting cytometry (MTC) and laser tracking microrheology (LTM) are described. Our unique approach uses laser deflection for high-performance tracking of cell-adhered magnetic beads either in response to an oscillatory magnetic torque (MTC) or due to random Brownian or ATP-dependent forces (LTM). This approach is well suited for accurately determining the rheology of single cells, the study of temporal and cell-to-cell variations in the MTC signal amplitude, and assessing the statistical character of the tracers' random motion in detail. The temporal variation of the MTC rocking amplitude is surprisingly large and manifests as a frequency-independent multiplicative factor having a 1/f spectrum in living cells, which disappears upon ATP depletion. In the epithelial cells we study, random bead position fluctuations are Gaussian to the limits of detection both in the Brownian and ATP-dependent cases, unlike earlier studies on other cell types.

Viscoelasticity of the human red blood cell

We report here the first measurements of the complex modulus of the isolated red blood cell (RBC). Because the RBC is often larger than capillary diameter, important determinants of microcirculatory function are RBC deformability and its changes with pathologies, such as sickle cell disease and malaria. A functionalized ferrimagnetic microbead was attached to the membrane of healthy RBC and then subjected to an oscillatory magnetic field. The resulting torque caused cell deformation. From the oscillatory forcing and resulting bead motions, which were tracked optically, we computed elastic and frictional moduli, g′ and g‴, respectively, from 0.1 to 100 Hz. The g′ was nearly frequency independent and dominated the response at all but the highest frequencies measured. Over three frequency decades, g‴ increased as a power law with an exponent of 0.64, a result not predicted by any simple model. These data suggest that RBC relaxation times that have been reported previously, and any models that rest upon them, are artifactual; the artifact, we suggest, arises from forcing to an exponential fit data of limited temporal duration. A linear range of response was observed, but, as forcing amplitude increased, nonlinearities became clearly apparent. A finite element model suggests that membrane bending was localized to the vicinity of the bead and dominated membrane shear. While the mechanisms accounting for these RBC dynamics remain unclear, methods described here establish new avenues for the exploration of connections among the mechanical, chemical, and biological characteristics of the RBC in health and disease.

Directional memory and caged dynamics in cytoskeletal remodelling

We report directional memory of spontaneous nanoscale displacements of an individual bead firmly anchored to the cytoskeleton of a living cell. A novel method of analysis shows that for shorter time intervals cytoskeletal displacements are antipersistent and thus provides direct evidence in a living cell of molecular trapping and caged dynamics. At longer time intervals displacements are persistent. The transition from antipersistence to persistence is indicative of a time-scale for cage rearrangements and is found to depend upon energy release due to ATP hydrolysis and proximity to a glass transition. Anomalous diffusion is known to imply memory, but we show here that memory is attributed to direction rather than step size. As such, these data are the first to provide a molecular-scale physical picture describing the cytoskeletal remodelling process and its rate of progression.

Time-dependent deformations in bone cells exposed to fluid flow in vitro: investigating the role of cellular deformation in fluid flow-induced signaling

Numerous experiments have shown fluid flow to be a potent stimulator of bone cells in vitro, suggesting that fluid flow is an important physical signal in bone mechanotransduction. In fluid flow experiments, bone cells are exposed to both time-dependent (e.g., oscillating or pulsing) and time-independent (e.g., steady) flow profiles. Interestingly, the signaling response of bone cells shows dependence on loading frequency and/or rate that has been postulated to be due to viscoelastic behavior. Thus, the objective of this study was to investigate the time-dependent deformations of bone cells exposed to fluid flow in vitro. Specifically, our goal was to characterize the mechanical response of bone cells exposed to oscillatory flow from 0.5 to 2.0 Hz and steady flow, since these flow profiles have previously been shown to induce different morphological and biochemical responses in vitro. By tracking cell-bound sulfate and collagen coated fluorescent beads of varying sizes, we quantified the normalized peak deformation (peak displacement normalized by the maximum peak displacement observed for all frequencies) and phase lag in bone cells exposed to 1.0 Pa oscillating flow at frequencies of 0.5-2.0 Hz. The phase lag was small (3-10 degrees ) and frequency dependent, while the normalized peak displacements decreased as a weak power law of frequency ( approximately f(-0.2)). During steady flow, the cells exhibited a nearly instantaneous deformation, followed by creep. Our results suggest that while substantial viscous deformation may occur during steady flow (compared to oscillating flow at approximately 1 Hz), bone cells behave primarily as elastic bodies when exposed to flow at frequencies associated with habitual loading.

Soft biological materials and their impact on cell function

Most organs and biological tissues are soft viscoelastic materials with elastic moduli ranging from on the order of 100 Pa for the brain to 100 000 Pa for soft cartilage. Biocompatible synthetic materials already have many applications, but combining chemical compatibility with physiologically appropriate mechanical properties will increase their potential for use both as implants and as substrates for tissue engineering. Understanding and controlling mechanical properties, specifically softness, is important for appropriate physiological function in numerous contexts. The mechanical properties of the substrate on which, or within which, cells are placed can have as large an impact as chemical stimuli on cell morphology, differentiation, motility, and commitment to live or die.

Cytoskeleton dynamics: fluctuations within the network

Out-of-equilibrium systems, such as the dynamics of a living cytoskeleton (CSK), are inherently noisy with fluctuations arising from the stochastic nature of the underlying biochemical and molecular events. Recently, such fluctuations within the cell were characterized by observing spontaneous nano-scale motions of an RGD-coated microbead bound to the cell surface [Bursac et al., Nat. Mater. 4 (2005) 557-561]. While these reported anomalous bead motions represent a molecular level reorganization (remodeling) of microstructures in contact with the bead, a precise nature of these cytoskeletal constituents and forces that drive their remodeling dynamics are largely unclear. Here, we focused upon spontaneous motions of an RGD-coated bead and, in particular, assessed to what extent these motions are attributable to (i) bulk cell movement (cell crawling), (ii) dynamics of focal adhesions, (iii) dynamics of lipid membrane, and/or (iv) dynamics of the underlying actin CSK driven by myosin motors.

The cell as a material

To elucidate the dynamic and functional role of a cell within the tissue it belongs to, it is essential to understand its material properties. The cell is a viscoelastic material with highly unusual properties. Measurements of the mechanical behavior of cells are beginning to probe the contribution of constituent components to cell mechanics. Reconstituted cytoskeletal protein networks have been shown to mimic many aspects of the mechanical properties of cells, providing new insight into the origin of cellular behavior. These networks are highly nonlinear, with an elastic modulus that depends sensitively on applied stress. Theories can account for some of the measured properties, but a complete model remains elusive.