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Alisafaei F, Mandal K, Saldanha R, Swoger M, Yang H, Shi X, Guo M, Hehnly H, Castañeda CA, Janmey PA, Patteson AE, Shenoy VB. Vimentin is a key regulator of cell mechanosensing through opposite actions on actomyosin and microtubule networks. Commun Biol 2024; 7:658. [PMID: 38811770 PMCID: PMC11137025 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06366-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024] Open
Abstract
The cytoskeleton is a complex network of interconnected biopolymers consisting of actin filaments, microtubules, and intermediate filaments. These biopolymers work in concert to transmit cell-generated forces to the extracellular matrix required for cell motility, wound healing, and tissue maintenance. While we know cell-generated forces are driven by actomyosin contractility and balanced by microtubule network resistance, the effect of intermediate filaments on cellular forces is unclear. Using a combination of theoretical modeling and experiments, we show that vimentin intermediate filaments tune cell stress by assisting in both actomyosin-based force transmission and reinforcement of microtubule networks under compression. We show that the competition between these two opposing effects of vimentin is regulated by the microenvironment stiffness. These results reconcile seemingly contradictory results in the literature and provide a unified description of vimentin's effects on the transmission of cell contractile forces to the extracellular matrix.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farid Alisafaei
- Center for Engineering Mechanobiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ, 07102, USA
| | - Kalpana Mandal
- Center for Engineering Mechanobiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Institute for Medicine and Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, 3340 Smith Walk, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Renita Saldanha
- Physics Department, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, 13244, USA
- BioInspired Institute, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, 13244, USA
| | - Maxx Swoger
- Physics Department, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, 13244, USA
- BioInspired Institute, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, 13244, USA
| | - Haiqian Yang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Xuechen Shi
- Center for Engineering Mechanobiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Institute for Medicine and Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, 3340 Smith Walk, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Ming Guo
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
| | - Heidi Hehnly
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, 13244, USA
| | - Carlos A Castañeda
- Departments of Biology and Chemistry, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, 13244, USA
- Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, 13244, USA
| | - Paul A Janmey
- Center for Engineering Mechanobiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Institute for Medicine and Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, 3340 Smith Walk, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
- Departments of Physiology, and Physics & Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Alison E Patteson
- Physics Department, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, 13244, USA
- BioInspired Institute, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, 13244, USA
| | - Vivek B Shenoy
- Center for Engineering Mechanobiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
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2
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Denisin AK, Kim H, Riedel-Kruse IH, Pruitt BL. Field Guide to Traction Force Microscopy. Cell Mol Bioeng 2024; 17:87-106. [PMID: 38737454 PMCID: PMC11082129 DOI: 10.1007/s12195-024-00801-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Traction force microscopy (TFM) is a widely used technique to measure cell contractility on compliant substrates that mimic the stiffness of human tissues. For every step in a TFM workflow, users make choices which impact the quantitative results, yet many times the rationales and consequences for making these decisions are unclear. We have found few papers which show the complete experimental and mathematical steps of TFM, thus obfuscating the full effects of these decisions on the final output. Methods Therefore, we present this "Field Guide" with the goal to explain the mathematical basis of common TFM methods to practitioners in an accessible way. We specifically focus on how errors propagate in TFM workflows given specific experimental design and analytical choices. Results We cover important assumptions and considerations in TFM substrate manufacturing, substrate mechanical properties, imaging techniques, image processing methods, approaches and parameters used in calculating traction stress, and data-reporting strategies. Conclusions By presenting a conceptual review and analysis of TFM-focused research articles published over the last two decades, we provide researchers in the field with a better understanding of their options to make more informed choices when creating TFM workflows depending on the type of cell being studied. With this review, we aim to empower experimentalists to quantify cell contractility with confidence. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12195-024-00801-6.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Honesty Kim
- Department of Bioengineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 USA
- Present Address: The Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94158 USA
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, and (by courtesy) Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Applied Mathematics, and Physics, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 USA
| | - Ingmar H. Riedel-Kruse
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, and (by courtesy) Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Applied Mathematics, and Physics, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 USA
| | - Beth L. Pruitt
- Departments of Bioengineering and Mechanical Engineering, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 USA
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3
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Southern BD, Li H, Mao H, Crish JF, Grove LM, Scheraga RG, Mansoor S, Reinhardt A, Abraham S, Deshpande G, Loui A, Ivanov AI, Rosenfeld SS, Bresnick AR, Olman MA. A novel mechanoeffector role of fibroblast S100A4 in myofibroblast transdifferentiation and fibrosis. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:105530. [PMID: 38072048 PMCID: PMC10789633 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2023.105530] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2023] [Revised: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/28/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Fibroblast to myofibroblast transdifferentiation mediates numerous fibrotic disorders, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). We have previously demonstrated that non-muscle myosin II (NMII) is activated in response to fibrotic lung extracellular matrix, thereby mediating myofibroblast transdifferentiation. NMII-A is known to interact with the calcium-binding protein S100A4, but the mechanism by which S100A4 regulates fibrotic disorders is unclear. In this study, we show that fibroblast S100A4 is a calcium-dependent, mechanoeffector protein that is uniquely sensitive to pathophysiologic-range lung stiffness (8-25 kPa) and thereby mediates myofibroblast transdifferentiation. Re-expression of endogenous fibroblast S100A4 rescues the myofibroblastic phenotype in S100A4 KO fibroblasts. Analysis of NMII-A/actin dynamics reveals that S100A4 mediates the unraveling and redistribution of peripheral actomyosin to a central location, resulting in a contractile myofibroblast. Furthermore, S100A4 loss protects against murine in vivo pulmonary fibrosis, and S100A4 expression is dysregulated in IPF. Our data reveal a novel mechanosensor/effector role for endogenous fibroblast S100A4 in inducing cytoskeletal redistribution in fibrotic disorders such as IPF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian D Southern
- Lerner Research Institute Department of Inflammation and Immunity, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Respiratory Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Haiyan Li
- Lerner Research Institute Department of Inflammation and Immunity, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Hongxia Mao
- Lerner Research Institute Department of Inflammation and Immunity, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - James F Crish
- Lerner Research Institute Department of Inflammation and Immunity, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Lisa M Grove
- Lerner Research Institute Department of Inflammation and Immunity, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Rachel G Scheraga
- Lerner Research Institute Department of Inflammation and Immunity, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Respiratory Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Sanaa Mansoor
- Lerner Research Institute Department of Inflammation and Immunity, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Amanda Reinhardt
- Lerner Research Institute Department of Inflammation and Immunity, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Susamma Abraham
- Lerner Research Institute Department of Inflammation and Immunity, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Gauravi Deshpande
- Lerner Research Institute Imaging Core, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Alicia Loui
- University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Andrei I Ivanov
- Lerner Research Institute Department of Inflammation and Immunity, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
| | - Steven S Rosenfeld
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Mayo Clinic Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida, USA
| | - Anne R Bresnick
- Department of Biochemistry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, New York, USA
| | - Mitchell A Olman
- Lerner Research Institute Department of Inflammation and Immunity, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Respiratory Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
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Atia L, Fredberg JJ. A life off the beaten track in biomechanics: Imperfect elasticity, cytoskeletal glassiness, and epithelial unjamming. BIOPHYSICS REVIEWS 2023; 4:041304. [PMID: 38156333 PMCID: PMC10751956 DOI: 10.1063/5.0179719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/30/2023]
Abstract
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lior Atia
- Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
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5
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Phogat S, Thiam F, Al Yazeedi S, Abokor FA, Osei ET. 3D in vitro hydrogel models to study the human lung extracellular matrix and fibroblast function. Respir Res 2023; 24:242. [PMID: 37798767 PMCID: PMC10552248 DOI: 10.1186/s12931-023-02548-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The pulmonary extracellular matrix (ECM) is a macromolecular structure that provides mechanical support, stability and elastic recoil for different pulmonary cells including the lung fibroblasts. The ECM plays an important role in lung development, remodeling, repair, and the maintenance of tissue homeostasis. Biomechanical and biochemical signals produced by the ECM regulate the phenotype and function of various cells including fibroblasts in the lungs. Fibroblasts are important lung structural cells responsible for the production and repair of different ECM proteins (e.g., collagen and fibronectin). During lung injury and in chronic lung diseases such as asthma, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), an abnormal feedback between fibroblasts and the altered ECM disrupts tissue homeostasis and leads to a vicious cycle of fibrotic changes resulting in tissue remodeling. In line with this, using 3D hydrogel culture models with embedded lung fibroblasts have enabled the assessment of the various mechanisms involved in driving defective (fibrotic) fibroblast function in the lung's 3D ECM environment. In this review, we provide a summary of various studies that used these 3D hydrogel models to assess the regulation of the ECM on lung fibroblast phenotype and function in altered lung ECM homeostasis in health and in chronic respiratory disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sakshi Phogat
- Department of Biology, Okanagan Campus, University of British Columbia, 3187 University Way, ASC366, Kelowna, BC, V1V1V7, Canada
| | - Fama Thiam
- Department of Biology, Okanagan Campus, University of British Columbia, 3187 University Way, ASC366, Kelowna, BC, V1V1V7, Canada
| | - Safiya Al Yazeedi
- Department of Biology, Okanagan Campus, University of British Columbia, 3187 University Way, ASC366, Kelowna, BC, V1V1V7, Canada
| | - Filsan Ahmed Abokor
- Department of Biology, Okanagan Campus, University of British Columbia, 3187 University Way, ASC366, Kelowna, BC, V1V1V7, Canada
| | - Emmanuel Twumasi Osei
- Department of Biology, Okanagan Campus, University of British Columbia, 3187 University Way, ASC366, Kelowna, BC, V1V1V7, Canada.
- Centre for Heart Lung Innovation, St. Paul's Hospital, Vancouver, BC, V6Z 1Y6, Canada.
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6
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Mohagheghian E, Luo J, Yavitt FM, Wei F, Bhala P, Amar K, Rashid F, Wang Y, Liu X, Ji C, Chen J, Arnold DP, Liu Z, Anseth KS, Wang N. Quantifying stiffness and forces of tumor colonies and embryos using a magnetic microrobot. Sci Robot 2023; 8:eadc9800. [PMID: 36696474 PMCID: PMC10098875 DOI: 10.1126/scirobotics.adc9800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Stiffness and forces are two fundamental quantities essential to living cells and tissues. However, it has been a challenge to quantify both 3D traction forces and stiffness (or modulus) using the same probe in vivo. Here, we describe an approach that overcomes this challenge by creating a magnetic microrobot probe with controllable functionality. Biocompatible ferromagnetic cobalt-platinum microcrosses were fabricated, and each microcross (about 30 micrometers) was trapped inside an arginine-glycine-apartic acid-conjugated stiff poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) round microgel (about 50 micrometers) using a microfluidic device. The stiff magnetic microrobot was seeded inside a cell colony and acted as a stiffness probe by rigidly rotating in response to an oscillatory magnetic field. Then, brief episodes of ultraviolet light exposure were applied to dynamically photodegrade and soften the fluorescent nanoparticle-embedded PEG microgel, whose deformation and 3D traction forces were quantified. Using the microrobot probe, we show that malignant tumor-repopulating cell colonies altered their modulus but not traction forces in response to different 3D substrate elasticities. Stiffness and 3D traction forces were measured, and both normal and shear traction force oscillations were observed in zebrafish embryos from blastula to gastrula. Mouse embryos generated larger tensile and compressive traction force oscillations than shear traction force oscillations during blastocyst. The microrobot probe with controllable functionality via magnetic fields could potentially be useful for studying the mechanoregulation of cells, tissues, and embryos.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erfan Mohagheghian
- Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Junyu Luo
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, Laboratory for Cellular Biomechanics and Regenerative Medicine, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
| | - F. Max Yavitt
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
- BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Fuxiang Wei
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, Laboratory for Cellular Biomechanics and Regenerative Medicine, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
| | - Parth Bhala
- Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Kshitij Amar
- Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Fazlur Rashid
- Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Yuzheng Wang
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Xingchen Liu
- Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Chenyang Ji
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, Laboratory for Cellular Biomechanics and Regenerative Medicine, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
| | - Junwei Chen
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, Laboratory for Cellular Biomechanics and Regenerative Medicine, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430074, China
| | - David P. Arnold
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Zhen Liu
- Institute of Neuroscience, Key Laboratory of Primate Neurobiology, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
| | - Kristi S. Anseth
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
- BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Ning Wang
- Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, The Grainger College of Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
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7
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Kong X, Kapustka A, Sullivan B, Schwarz GJ, Leckband DE. Extracellular matrix regulates force transduction at VE-cadherin junctions. Mol Biol Cell 2022; 33:ar95. [PMID: 35653290 DOI: 10.1091/mbc.e22-03-0075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Increased tension on VE-cadherin (VE-cad) complexes activates adaptive cell stiffening and local cytoskeletal reinforcement--two key signatures of intercellular mechanotransduction. Here we demonstrate that tugging on VE-cad receptors initiates a cascade that results in downstream integrin activation. The formation of new integrin adhesions potentiates vinculin and actin recruitment to mechanically reinforce stressed cadherin adhesions. This cascade differs from documented antagonistic effects of integrins on intercellular junctions. We identify focal adhesion kinase, Abl kinase, and RhoA GTPase as key components of the positive feedback loop. Results further show that a consequence of integrin involvement is the sensitization of intercellular force transduction to the extracellular matrix (ECM) not by regulating junctional tension but by altering signal cascades that reinforce cell-cell adhesions. On type 1 collagen or fibronectin substrates, integrin subtypes α2β1 and α5β1, respectively, differentially control actin remodeling at VE-cad adhesions. Specifically, ECM-dependent differences in VE-cad force transduction mirror differences in the rigidity sensing mechanisms of α2β1 and α5β1 integrins. The findings verify the role of integrins in VE-cad force transduction and uncover a previously unappreciated mechanism by which the ECM impacts the mechanical reinforcement of interendothelial junctions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyu Kong
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
| | - Adrian Kapustka
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
| | - Brendan Sullivan
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
| | - Gregory J Schwarz
- Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
| | - Deborah E Leckband
- Department of Biochemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801.,Center for Biophysics and Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801.,Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801.,Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801
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8
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Wen K, Ni K, Guo J, Bu B, Liu L, Pan Y, Li J, Luo M, Deng L. MircroRNA Let-7a-5p in Airway Smooth Muscle Cells is Most Responsive to High Stretch in Association With Cell Mechanics Modulation. Front Physiol 2022; 13:830406. [PMID: 35399286 PMCID: PMC8990250 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.830406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: High stretch (strain >10%) can alter the biomechanical behaviors of airway smooth muscle cells which may play important roles in diverse lung diseases such as asthma and ventilator-induced lung injury. However, the underlying modulation mechanisms for high stretch-induced mechanobiological responses in ASMCs are not fully understood. Here, we hypothesize that ASMCs respond to high stretch with increased expression of specific microRNAs (miRNAs) that may in turn modulate the biomechanical behaviors of the cells. Thus, this study aimed to identify the miRNA in cultured ASMCs that is most responsive to high stretch, and subsequently investigate in these cells whether the miRNA expression level is associated with the modulation of cell biomechanics. Methods: MiRNAs related to inflammatory airway diseases were obtained via bioinformatics data mining, and then tested with cultured ASMCs for their expression variations in response to a cyclic high stretch (13% strain) simulating in vivo ventilator-imposed strain on airways. Subsequently, we transfected cultured ASMCs with mimics and inhibitors of the miRNA that is most responsive to the high stretch, followed by evaluation of the cells in terms of morphology, stiffness, traction force, and mRNA expression of cytoskeleton/focal adhesion-related molecules. Results: 29 miRNAs were identified to be related to inflammatory airway diseases, among which let-7a-5p was the most responsive to high stretch. Transfection of cultured human ASMCs with let-7a-5p mimics or inhibitors led to an increase or decrease in aspect ratio, stiffness, traction force, migration, stress fiber distribution, mRNA expression of α-smooth muscle actin (SMA), myosin light chain kinase, some subfamily members of integrin and talin. Direct binding between let-7a-5p and ItgαV was also verified in classical model cell line by using dual-luciferase assays. Conclusion: We demonstrated that high stretch indeed enhanced the expression of let-7a-5p in ASMCs, which in turn led to changes in the cells’ morphology and biomechanical behaviors together with modulation of molecules associated with cytoskeletal structure and focal adhesion. These findings suggest that let-7a-5p regulation is an alternative mechanism for high stretch-induced effect on mechanobiology of ASMCs, which may contribute to understanding the pathogenesis of high stretch-related lung diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Mingzhi Luo
- *Correspondence: Mingzhi Luo, ; Linhong Deng,
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9
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Sanz-Herrera JA, Barrasa-Fano J, Cóndor M, Van Oosterwyck H. Inverse method based on 3D nonlinear physically constrained minimisation in the framework of traction force microscopy. SOFT MATTER 2021; 17:10210-10222. [PMID: 33165455 DOI: 10.1039/d0sm00789g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Traction force microscopy is a methodology that enables to estimate cellular forces from the measurement of the displacement field of an extracellular matrix (ECM)-mimicking hydrogel that a cell is mechanically interacting with. In this paper, a new inverse and physically-consistent methodology is developed and implemented in the context of 3D nonlinear elasticity. The proposed method searches for a displacement field that approximates the measured one, through the imposition of fulfillment of equilibrium with real and known forces acting in the hydrogel. The overall mathematical formulation leads to a constrained optimisation problem that is treated through a Lagrange operator and that is solved numerically by means of a nonlinear finite element framework. In order to illustrate the potential and enhanced accuracy of the proposed inverse method, it is applied to a total of 5 different real cases of cells cultured in a 3D hydrogel that is considered to behave as a nonlinear elastic material. Different error indicators are defined in order to compare ground truth simulated displacements and tractions to the ones recovered by the new inverse as well as by the forward method. Results indicate that the evaluation of displacement gradients leads to errors, in terms of recovered tractions, that are more than three times lower (on average) for the inverse method compared to the forward method. They highlight the enhanced accuracy of the developed methodology and the importance of appropriate inverse methods that impose physical constraints to traction and stress recovery in the context of traction force microscopy.
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Affiliation(s)
- J A Sanz-Herrera
- Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería, Universidad de Sevilla, Seville, Spain
| | - J Barrasa-Fano
- Biomechanics Section, Department of Mechanical Engineering, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - M Cóndor
- Biomechanics Section, Department of Mechanical Engineering, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - H Van Oosterwyck
- Biomechanics Section, Department of Mechanical Engineering, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
- Prometheus division of Skeletal Tissue Engineering, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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10
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Hobson CM, Aaron JS, Heddleston JM, Chew TL. Visualizing the Invisible: Advanced Optical Microscopy as a Tool to Measure Biomechanical Forces. Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:706126. [PMID: 34552926 PMCID: PMC8450411 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.706126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The importance of mechanical force in biology is evident across diverse length scales, ranging from tissue morphogenesis during embryo development to mechanotransduction across single adhesion proteins at the cell surface. Consequently, many force measurement techniques rely on optical microscopy to measure forces being applied by cells on their environment, to visualize specimen deformations due to external forces, or even to directly apply a physical perturbation to the sample via photoablation or optogenetic tools. Recent developments in advanced microscopy offer improved approaches to enhance spatiotemporal resolution, imaging depth, and sample viability. These advances can be coupled with already existing force measurement methods to improve sensitivity, duration and speed, amongst other parameters. However, gaining access to advanced microscopy instrumentation and the expertise necessary to extract meaningful insights from these techniques is an unavoidable hurdle. In this Live Cell Imaging special issue Review, we survey common microscopy-based force measurement techniques and examine how they can be bolstered by emerging microscopy methods. We further explore challenges related to the accompanying data analysis in biomechanical studies and discuss the various resources available to tackle the global issue of technology dissemination, an important avenue for biologists to gain access to pre-commercial instruments that can be leveraged for biomechanical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chad M. Hobson
- Advanced Imaging Center, Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, United States
| | - Jesse S. Aaron
- Advanced Imaging Center, Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, United States
| | - John M. Heddleston
- Cleveland Clinic Florida Research and Innovation Center, Port St. Lucie, FL, United States
| | - Teng-Leong Chew
- Advanced Imaging Center, Janelia Research Campus, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Ashburn, VA, United States
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11
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Chowdhury F, Huang B, Wang N. Cytoskeletal prestress: The cellular hallmark in mechanobiology and mechanomedicine. Cytoskeleton (Hoboken) 2021; 78:249-276. [PMID: 33754478 PMCID: PMC8518377 DOI: 10.1002/cm.21658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2021] [Revised: 03/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Increasing evidence demonstrates that mechanical forces, in addition to soluble molecules, impact cell and tissue functions in physiology and diseases. How living cells integrate mechanical signals to perform appropriate biological functions is an area of intense investigation. Here, we review the evidence of the central role of cytoskeletal prestress in mechanotransduction and mechanobiology. Elevating cytoskeletal prestress increases cell stiffness and reinforces cell stiffening, facilitates long-range cytoplasmic mechanotransduction via integrins, enables direct chromatin stretching and rapid gene expression, spurs embryonic development and stem cell differentiation, and boosts immune cell activation and killing of tumor cells whereas lowering cytoskeletal prestress maintains embryonic stem cell pluripotency, promotes tumorigenesis and metastasis of stem cell-like malignant tumor-repopulating cells, and elevates drug delivery efficiency of soft-tumor-cell-derived microparticles. The overwhelming evidence suggests that the cytoskeletal prestress is the governing principle and the cellular hallmark in mechanobiology. The application of mechanobiology to medicine (mechanomedicine) is rapidly emerging and may help advance human health and improve diagnostics, treatment, and therapeutics of diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farhan Chowdhury
- Department of Mechanical Engineering and Energy ProcessesSouthern Illinois University CarbondaleCarbondaleIllinoisUSA
| | - Bo Huang
- Department of Immunology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences & State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular BiologyChinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical CollegeBeijingChina
| | - Ning Wang
- Department of Mechanical Science and EngineeringUniversity of Illinois at Urbana‐ChampaignUrbanaIllinoisUSA
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12
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Advanced in silico validation framework for three-dimensional traction force microscopy and application to an in vitro model of sprouting angiogenesis. Acta Biomater 2021; 126:326-338. [PMID: 33737201 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2021.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2020] [Revised: 03/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/04/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
In the last decade, cellular forces in three-dimensional hydrogels that mimic the extracellular matrix have been calculated by means of Traction Force Microscopy (TFM). However, characterizing the accuracy limits of a traction recovery method is critical to avoid obscuring physiological information due to traction recovery errors. So far, 3D TFM algorithms have only been validated using simplified cell geometries, bypassing image processing steps or arbitrarily simulating focal adhesions. Moreover, it is still uncertain which of the two common traction recovery methods, i.e., forward and inverse, is more robust against the inherent challenges of 3D TFM. In this work, we established an advanced in silico validation framework that is applicable to any 3D TFM experimental setup and that can be used to correctly couple the experimental and computational aspects of 3D TFM. Advancements relate to the simultaneous incorporation of complex cell geometries, simulation of microscopy images of varying bead densities and different focal adhesion sizes and distributions. By measuring the traction recovery error with respect to ground truth solutions, we found that while highest traction recovery errors occur for cases with sparse and small focal adhesions, our implementation of the inverse method improves two-fold the accuracy with respect to the forward method (average error of 23% vs. 50%). This advantage was further supported by recovering cellular tractions around angiogenic sprouts in an in vitro model of angiogenesis. The inverse method recovered higher traction peaks and a clearer pulling pattern at the sprout protrusion tips than the forward method. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Biomaterial performance is often studied by quantifying cell-matrix mechanical interactions by means of Traction Force Microscopy (TFM). However, 3D TFM algorithms are often validated in simplified scenarios, which do not allow to fully assess errors that could obscure physiological information. Here, we established an advanced in silico validation framework that mimics real TFM experimental conditions and that characterizes the expected errors of a 3D TFM workflow. We apply this framework to demonstrate the enhanced accuracy of a novel inverse traction recovery method that is illustrated in the context of an in vitro model of sprouting angiogenesis. Together, our study shows the importance of a proper traction recovery method to minimise errors and the need for an advanced framework to assess those errors.
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13
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Rajakylä EK, Lehtimäki JI, Acheva A, Schaible N, Lappalainen P, Krishnan R, Tojkander S. Assembly of Peripheral Actomyosin Bundles in Epithelial Cells Is Dependent on the CaMKK2/AMPK Pathway. Cell Rep 2021; 30:4266-4280.e4. [PMID: 32209483 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.02.096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2019] [Revised: 12/02/2019] [Accepted: 12/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Defects in the maintenance of intercellular junctions are associated with loss of epithelial barrier function and consequent pathological conditions, including invasive cancers. Epithelial integrity is dependent on actomyosin bundles at adherens junctions, but the origin of these junctional bundles is incompletely understood. Here we show that peripheral actomyosin bundles can be generated from a specific actin stress fiber subtype, transverse arcs, through their lateral fusion at cell-cell contacts. Importantly, we find that assembly and maintenance of peripheral actomyosin bundles are dependent on the mechanosensitive CaMKK2/AMPK signaling pathway and that inhibition of this route leads to disruption of tension-maintaining actomyosin bundles and re-growth of stress fiber precursors. This results in redistribution of cellular forces, defects in monolayer integrity, and loss of epithelial identity. These data provide evidence that the mechanosensitive CaMKK2/AMPK pathway is critical for the maintenance of peripheral actomyosin bundles and thus dictates cell-cell junctions through cellular force distribution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eeva Kaisa Rajakylä
- Section of Pathology, Department of Veterinary Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Anna Acheva
- Section of Pathology, Department of Veterinary Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Niccole Schaible
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Pekka Lappalainen
- Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ramaswamy Krishnan
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sari Tojkander
- Section of Pathology, Department of Veterinary Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
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14
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Lehtimäki JI, Rajakylä EK, Tojkander S, Lappalainen P. Generation of stress fibers through myosin-driven reorganization of the actin cortex. eLife 2021; 10:60710. [PMID: 33506761 PMCID: PMC7877910 DOI: 10.7554/elife.60710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2020] [Accepted: 01/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Contractile actomyosin bundles, stress fibers, govern key cellular processes including migration, adhesion, and mechanosensing. Stress fibers are thus critical for developmental morphogenesis. The most prominent actomyosin bundles, ventral stress fibers, are generated through coalescence of pre-existing stress fiber precursors. However, whether stress fibers can assemble through other mechanisms has remained elusive. We report that stress fibers can also form without requirement of pre-existing actomyosin bundles. These structures, which we named cortical stress fibers, are embedded in the cell cortex and assemble preferentially underneath the nucleus. In this process, non-muscle myosin II pulses orchestrate the reorganization of cortical actin meshwork into regular bundles, which promote reinforcement of nascent focal adhesions, and subsequent stabilization of the cortical stress fibers. These results identify a new mechanism by which stress fibers can be generated de novo from the actin cortex and establish role for stochastic myosin pulses in the assembly of functional actomyosin bundles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jaakko I Lehtimäki
- HiLIFE Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Eeva Kaisa Rajakylä
- Section of Pathology, Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sari Tojkander
- Section of Pathology, Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Pekka Lappalainen
- HiLIFE Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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15
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Thermal sensitivity of cell metabolism of different Antarctic fish species mirrors organism temperature tolerance. Polar Biol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-020-02752-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
AbstractDespite cold adaptation, Antarctic fish show lower growth than expected from the van’t Hoff’s Q10 rule. Protein synthesis is one of the main energy-consuming processes, which is downregulated under energy deficiency. Considering the effect of temperature on growth performance, we tested if temperature-dependent cellular energy allocation to protein synthesis correlates with temperature-dependent whole-animal growth and thus thermal tolerance. Cell respiration and energy expenditure for protein synthesis were determined in hepatocytes of the circumpolar-distributed Antarctic eelpout Pachycara brachycephalum after warm acclimation (0 °C vs 5 °C) and, of two notothenioids the sub-Antarctic Lepidonotothen squamifrons and the high-Antarctic icefish Chionodraco hamatus. We used intermittent-flow respirometry to analyse cellular response to acute warming from 5 to 10 °C (P. brachycephalum) and from 1 to 5 °C (L. squamifrons, C. hamatus). Warming-induced rise in respiration was similar between 0- and 5 °C-acclimated P. brachycephalum and between L. squamifrons and C. hamatus. Irrespective of acclimation, warming decreased energy expenditure for protein synthesis in P. brachycephalum, which corresponds to reduced whole-animal growth at temperatures > 5 °C. Warming doubled energy expenditure for protein synthesis in L. squamifrons but had no effect on C. hamatus indicating that L. squamifrons might benefit from warmer waters. The species-specific temperature effect on energy expenditure for protein synthesis is discussed to mirror thermal sensitivity of whole-animal growth performance, thereby paralleling the degree of cold adaptation. Clearly more data are necessary including measurements at narrower temperature steps particularly for C. hamatus and an increased species’ number per ecotype to reinforce presented link between cellular and whole-animal thermal sensitivity.
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16
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Charrier EE, Pogoda K, Li R, Park CY, Fredberg JJ, Janmey PA. A novel method to make viscoelastic polyacrylamide gels for cell culture and traction force microscopy. APL Bioeng 2020; 4:036104. [PMID: 32666015 PMCID: PMC7334032 DOI: 10.1063/5.0002750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Polyacrylamide hydrogels are commonly used in cell biology, notably to cultivate cells on soft surfaces. Polyacrylamide gels are purely elastic and well adapted to cell culture as they are inert and can be conjugated with adhesion proteins. Here, we report a method to make viscoelastic polyacrylamide gels with mechanical properties more closely resembling biological tissues and suitable for cell culture in vitro. We demonstrate that these gels can be used for traction force microscopy experiments. We also show that multiple cell types respond to the viscoelasticity of their substrate and that viscous dissipation has an influence on cell spreading, contractility, and motility. This new material provides new opportunities for investigating how normal or malignant cells sense and respond to viscous dissipation within the extra-cellular matrix.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Robin Li
- Institute for Medicine and Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - Chan Young Park
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
| | - Jeffrey J. Fredberg
- Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
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17
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Luo M, Yu P, Ni K, Jin Y, Liu L, Li J, Pan Y, Deng L. Sanguinarine Rapidly Relaxes Rat Airway Smooth Muscle Cells Dependent on TAS2R Signaling. Biol Pharm Bull 2020; 43:1027-1034. [PMID: 32404582 DOI: 10.1248/bpb.b19-00825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Excessive contraction of airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) is a hallmark feature of asthma. Intriguing, the activation of bitter taste receptor (TAS2R) in ASMCs can relax ASMCs. However, there is a lack of potent TAS2R agonists that can be used in asthma therapies since those tested agonists cannot relax ASMCs at the dose below a few hundred micromolar. Considering that sanguinarine (SA) is a bitter substance often used in small doses for the treatment of asthma in folk medicine, the present study was to determine the rapid relaxation effect of SA on ASMCs and to reveal the underlying mechanisms associated with TAS2R signaling. Here, cell stiffness, traction force, calcium signaling, cAMP levels, and the mRNA expression were evaluated by using optical magnetic twisting cytometry, traction force microscopy, Fluo-4/AM labeling, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and quantitative (q)RT-PCR, respectively. We found that 0.5 µM SA immediately decreased cell stiffness and traction force, which is comparable with the effect of 5 µM isoproterenol. In addition, 0.5 µM SA immediately increased intracellular free calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) and decreased the mRNA expression of contractile proteins such as calponin and α-smooth muscle actin after the treatment for 24 h. Furthermore, SA-mediated decrease in cell stiffness/traction force and increase in [Ca2+]i were significantly blunted by inhibiting the TAS2Rs signaling. These findings establish the rapid relaxation effect of SA at low concentration (<1 µM) on cultured ASMCs depending on TAS2R signaling, indicating that SA might be developed as a useful bronchodilator in asthma therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mingzhi Luo
- Changzhou Key Laboratory of Respiratory Medical Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences, Changzhou University
| | - Peili Yu
- Changzhou Key Laboratory of Respiratory Medical Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences, Changzhou University
| | - Kai Ni
- Changzhou Key Laboratory of Respiratory Medical Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences, Changzhou University
| | - Yang Jin
- Key Lab of Biorheological Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, College of Bioengineering, Chongqing University
| | - Lei Liu
- Changzhou Key Laboratory of Respiratory Medical Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences, Changzhou University
| | - Jingjing Li
- Changzhou Key Laboratory of Respiratory Medical Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences, Changzhou University
| | - Yan Pan
- Changzhou Key Laboratory of Respiratory Medical Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences, Changzhou University
| | - Linhong Deng
- Changzhou Key Laboratory of Respiratory Medical Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences, Changzhou University
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18
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Mandal K, Gong Z, Rylander A, Shenoy VB, Janmey PA. Opposite responses of normal hepatocytes and hepatocellular carcinoma cells to substrate viscoelasticity. Biomater Sci 2020; 8:1316-1328. [PMID: 31903466 DOI: 10.1039/c9bm01339c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The cellular microenvironment plays a critical role in cell differentiation, proliferation, migration, and homeostasis. Recent studies have shown the importance of substrate viscosity in determining cellular function. Here, we study the mechanoresponse of normal hepatocytes and hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HCC) to elastic and viscoelastic substrates using the Huh7 cell line derived from a human liver tumor and primary human hepatocytes (PHH). Unlike PHH and fibroblasts, which respond to viscoelastic substrates by reducing spreading area and actin bundle assembly compared to purely elastic substrates of the same stiffness, Huh7 cells spread faster on viscoelastic substrates than on purely elastic substrates. The steady state spreading areas of Huh7 cells are larger on viscoelastic substrates, whereas the opposite effect occurs with PHH cells. The viscoelasticity of the microenvironment also promotes motility and multiple long protrusions in Huh7 cells. Pharmacologic disruption of the actin assembly makes cells unable to spread on either elastic or viscoelastic substrates. In contrast, upon vimentin perturbation, cells still spread to a limited degree on elastic substrates but are unable to spread on viscoelastic substrates. The time evolution of cell traction force shows that the peak occurs at an earlier time point on viscoelastic substrates compared to elastic substrates. However, the total force generation at steady state is the same on both substrates after 4 hours. Our data suggest that stress relaxation time scales of the viscoelastic substrate regulate cell dynamics and traction force generation, indicating different binding-unbinding rates of the proteins that form cell attachment sites in HCC cells and normal hepatocytes. These results suggest that liver cancer cells may have different characteristic lifetimes of binding to the substrate in comparision to normal cells, which might cause differences in cell spreading and motility within the diseased tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kalpana Mandal
- Institute for Medicine and Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia 19104, USA.
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19
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Grove LM, Mohan ML, Abraham S, Scheraga RG, Southern BD, Crish JF, Naga Prasad SV, Olman MA. Translocation of TRPV4-PI3Kγ complexes to the plasma membrane drives myofibroblast transdifferentiation. Sci Signal 2019; 12:12/607/eaau1533. [PMID: 31719171 DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.aau1533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Myofibroblasts are key contributors to pathological fibrotic conditions of several major organs. The transdifferentiation of fibroblasts into myofibroblasts requires both a mechanical signal and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) signaling. The cation channel transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) is a critical mediator of myofibroblast transdifferentiation and in vivo fibrosis through its mechanosensitivity to extracellular matrix stiffness. Here, we showed that TRPV4 promoted the transdifferentiation of human and mouse lung fibroblasts through its interaction with phosphoinositide 3-kinase γ (PI3Kγ), forming nanomolar-affinity, intracellular TRPV4-PI3Kγ complexes. TGF-β induced the recruitment of TRPV4-PI3Kγ complexes to the plasma membrane and increased the activities of both TRPV4 and PI3Kγ. Using gain- and loss-of-function approaches, we showed that both TRPV4 and PI3Kγ were required for myofibroblast transdifferentiation as assessed by the increased production of α-smooth muscle actin and its incorporation into stress fibers, cytoskeletal changes, collagen-1 production, and contractile force. Expression of various mutant forms of the PI3Kγ catalytic subunit (p110γ) in cells lacking PI3Kγ revealed that only the noncatalytic, amino-terminal domain of p110γ was necessary and sufficient for TGF-β-induced TRPV4 plasma membrane recruitment and myofibroblast transdifferentiation. These data suggest that TGF-β stimulates a noncanonical scaffolding action of PI3Kγ, which recruits TRPV4-PI3Kγ complexes to the plasma membrane, thereby increasing myofibroblast transdifferentiation. Given that both TRPV4 and PI3Kγ have pleiotropic actions, targeting the interaction between them could provide a specific therapeutic approach for inhibiting myofibroblast transdifferentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa M Grove
- Department of Inflammation and Immunity, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Maradumane L Mohan
- Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Susamma Abraham
- Department of Inflammation and Immunity, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Rachel G Scheraga
- Department of Inflammation and Immunity, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA.,Respiratory Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Brian D Southern
- Department of Inflammation and Immunity, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA.,Respiratory Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - James F Crish
- Department of Inflammation and Immunity, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Sathyamangla V Naga Prasad
- Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
| | - Mitchell A Olman
- Department of Inflammation and Immunity, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA. .,Respiratory Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH 44195, USA
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20
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Steppan J, Wang H, Bergman Y, Rauer MJ, Tan S, Jandu S, Nandakumar K, Barreto-Ortiz S, Cole RN, Boronina TN, Zhu W, Halushka MK, An SS, Berkowitz DE, Santhanam L. Lysyl oxidase-like 2 depletion is protective in age-associated vascular stiffening. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2019; 317:H49-H59. [PMID: 31002285 PMCID: PMC6692735 DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00670.2018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2018] [Revised: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 04/01/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Vascular stiffening and its sequelae are major causes of morbidity and mortality in the elderly. The increasingly accepted concept of "smooth muscle cell (SMC) stiffness syndrome" along with matrix deposition has emerged in vascular biology to account for the mechanical phenotype of arterial aging, but the molecular targets remain elusive. In this study, using an unbiased proteomic analysis, we identified lysyl oxidase-like 2 (LOXL2) as a critical SMC mediator for age-associated vascular stiffening. We tested the hypothesis that loss of LOXL2 function is protective in aging-associated vascular stiffening. We determined that exogenous and endogenous nitric oxide markedly decreased LOXL2 abundance and activity in the extracellular matrix of isolated SMCs and LOXL2 endothelial cells suppress LOXL2 abundance in the aorta. In a longitudinal study, LOXL2+/- mice were protected from age-associated increase in pulse-wave velocity, an index of vascular stiffening, as occurred in littermate wild-type mice. Using isolated aortic segments, we found that LOXL2 mediates vascular stiffening in aging by promoting SMC stiffness, augmented SMC contractility, and vascular matrix deposition. Together, these studies establish LOXL2 as a nodal point for a new therapeutic approach to treat age-associated vascular stiffening. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Increased central vascular stiffness augments risk of major adverse cardiovascular events. Despite significant advances in understanding the genetic and molecular underpinnings of vascular stiffening, targeted therapy has remained elusive. Here, we show that lysyl oxidase-like 2 (LOXL2) drives vascular stiffening during aging by promoting matrix remodeling and vascular smooth muscle cell stiffening. Reduced LOXL2 expression protects mice from age-associated vascular stiffening and delays the onset of isolated systolic hypertension, a major consequence of stiffening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jochen Steppan
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Huilei Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Yehudit Bergman
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Marcel J Rauer
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Siqi Tan
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Sandeep Jandu
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Kavitha Nandakumar
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Sebastian Barreto-Ortiz
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Robert N Cole
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Tatiana N Boronina
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Wanqu Zhu
- Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Marc K Halushka
- Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Steven S An
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, Maryland
- Bloomberg School of Public Health, Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Dan E Berkowitz
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, Maryland
- Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Lakshmi Santhanam
- Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, Maryland
- Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University , Baltimore, Maryland
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21
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Guenther C, Faisal I, Uotila LM, Asens ML, Harjunpää H, Savinko T, Öhman T, Yao S, Moser M, Morris SW, Tojkander S, Fagerholm SC. A β2-Integrin/MRTF-A/SRF Pathway Regulates Dendritic Cell Gene Expression, Adhesion, and Traction Force Generation. Front Immunol 2019; 10:1138. [PMID: 31191527 PMCID: PMC6546827 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.01138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2019] [Accepted: 05/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/24/2023] Open
Abstract
β2-integrins are essential for immune system function because they mediate immune cell adhesion and signaling. Consequently, a loss of β2-integrin expression or function causes the immunodeficiency disorders, Leukocyte Adhesion Deficiency (LAD) type I and III. LAD-III is caused by mutations in an important integrin regulator, kindlin-3, but exactly how kindlin-3 regulates leukocyte adhesion has remained incompletely understood. Here we demonstrate that mutation of the kindlin-3 binding site in the β2-integrin (TTT/AAA-β2-integrin knock-in mouse/KI) abolishes activation of the actin-regulated myocardin related transcription factor A/serum response factor (MRTF-A/SRF) signaling pathway in dendritic cells and MRTF-A/SRF-dependent gene expression. We show that Ras homolog gene family, member A (RhoA) activation and filamentous-actin (F-actin) polymerization is abolished in murine TTT/AAA-β2-integrin KI dendritic cells, which leads to a failure of MRTF-A to localize to the cell nucleus to coactivate genes together with SRF. In addition, we show that dendritic cell gene expression, adhesion and integrin-mediated traction forces on ligand coated surfaces is dependent on the MRTF-A/SRF signaling pathway. The participation of β2-integrin and kindlin-3-mediated cell adhesion in the regulation of the ubiquitous MRTF-A/SRF signaling pathway in immune cells may help explain the role of β2-integrin and kindlin-3 in integrin-mediated gene regulation and immune system function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Guenther
- Fagerholm Lab, MIBS, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Imrul Faisal
- Fagerholm Lab, MIBS, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Liisa M Uotila
- Fagerholm Lab, MIBS, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Heidi Harjunpää
- Fagerholm Lab, MIBS, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Terhi Savinko
- Fagerholm Lab, MIBS, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tiina Öhman
- Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sean Yao
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Markus Moser
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry, Martinsried, Germany
| | - Stephan W Morris
- Department of Pathology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States.,Department of Hematology-Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States
| | - Sari Tojkander
- Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Veterinary Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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22
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Schierbaum N, Rheinlaender J, Schäffer TE. Combined atomic force microscopy (AFM) and traction force microscopy (TFM) reveals a correlation between viscoelastic material properties and contractile prestress of living cells. SOFT MATTER 2019; 15:1721-1729. [PMID: 30657157 DOI: 10.1039/c8sm01585f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Living cells exhibit a complex mechanical behavior, whose underlying mechanisms are still largely unknown. Emerging from the molecular structure and dynamics of the cytoskeleton, the mechanical behavior comprises "passive" viscoelastic material properties and "active" contractile prestress. To directly investigate the connection between these quantities at the single-cell level, we here present the combination of atomic force microscopy (AFM) with traction force microscopy (TFM). With this combination, we simultaneously measure viscoelastic material parameters (stiffness, fluidity) and contractile prestress of adherent fibroblast and epithelial cells. Although stiffness, fluidity, and contractile prestress greatly vary within a cell population, they are highly correlated: stiffer cells have a lower fluidity and a larger prestress than softer cells. We show that viscoelastic material properties and contractile prestress are both governed by the activity of the actomyosin machinery. Our results underline the connection between a cell's viscoelastic material properties and its contractile prestress and their importance in cell mechanics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Schierbaum
- Institute of Applied Physics, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 10, 72076 Tübingen, Germany.
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23
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Huang Y, Schell C, Huber TB, Şimşek AN, Hersch N, Merkel R, Gompper G, Sabass B. Traction force microscopy with optimized regularization and automated Bayesian parameter selection for comparing cells. Sci Rep 2019; 9:539. [PMID: 30679578 PMCID: PMC6345967 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-36896-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2018] [Accepted: 11/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Adherent cells exert traction forces on to their environment which allows them to migrate, to maintain tissue integrity, and to form complex multicellular structures during developmental morphogenesis. Traction force microscopy (TFM) enables the measurement of traction forces on an elastic substrate and thereby provides quantitative information on cellular mechanics in a perturbation-free fashion. In TFM, traction is usually calculated via the solution of a linear system, which is complicated by undersampled input data, acquisition noise, and large condition numbers for some methods. Therefore, standard TFM algorithms either employ data filtering or regularization. However, these approaches require a manual selection of filter- or regularization parameters and consequently exhibit a substantial degree of subjectiveness. This shortcoming is particularly serious when cells in different conditions are to be compared because optimal noise suppression needs to be adapted for every situation, which invariably results in systematic errors. Here, we systematically test the performance of new methods from computer vision and Bayesian inference for solving the inverse problem in TFM. We compare two classical schemes, L1- and L2-regularization, with three previously untested schemes, namely Elastic Net regularization, Proximal Gradient Lasso, and Proximal Gradient Elastic Net. Overall, we find that Elastic Net regularization, which combines L1 and L2 regularization, outperforms all other methods with regard to accuracy of traction reconstruction. Next, we develop two methods, Bayesian L2 regularization and Advanced Bayesian L2 regularization, for automatic, optimal L2 regularization. Using artificial data and experimental data, we show that these methods enable robust reconstruction of traction without requiring a difficult selection of regularization parameters specifically for each data set. Thus, Bayesian methods can mitigate the considerable uncertainty inherent in comparing cellular tractions in different conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunfei Huang
- Theoretical Soft Matter and Biophysics, Institute of Complex Systems-2 and Institute for Advanced Simulation, Forschungszentrum Juelich, D-52425, Juelich, Germany
| | - Christoph Schell
- Institut für Klinische Pathologie, Universitätsklinikum Freiburg, D-79002, Freiburg, Germany.,Berta-Ottenstein Programme, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, D-79106, Germany
| | - Tobias B Huber
- Department of Medicine IV, Faculty of Medicine, Medical Center - University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,BIOSS Center for Biological Signalling Studies, Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.,III. Department of Medicine, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany
| | - Ahmet Nihat Şimşek
- Theoretical Soft Matter and Biophysics, Institute of Complex Systems-2 and Institute for Advanced Simulation, Forschungszentrum Juelich, D-52425, Juelich, Germany
| | - Nils Hersch
- Biomechanics, Institute of Complex Systems-7, Forschungszentrum Juelich, D-52425, Juelich, Germany
| | - Rudolf Merkel
- Biomechanics, Institute of Complex Systems-7, Forschungszentrum Juelich, D-52425, Juelich, Germany
| | - Gerhard Gompper
- Theoretical Soft Matter and Biophysics, Institute of Complex Systems-2 and Institute for Advanced Simulation, Forschungszentrum Juelich, D-52425, Juelich, Germany
| | - Benedikt Sabass
- Theoretical Soft Matter and Biophysics, Institute of Complex Systems-2 and Institute for Advanced Simulation, Forschungszentrum Juelich, D-52425, Juelich, Germany.
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24
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Mandal K, Raz-Ben Aroush D, Graber ZT, Wu B, Park CY, Fredberg JJ, Guo W, Baumgart T, Janmey PA. Soft Hyaluronic Gels Promote Cell Spreading, Stress Fibers, Focal Adhesion, and Membrane Tension by Phosphoinositide Signaling, Not Traction Force. ACS NANO 2019; 13:203-214. [PMID: 30500159 PMCID: PMC6511072 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.8b05286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Cells respond to both physical and chemical aspects of their substrate. Whether intracellular signals initiated by physical stimuli are fundamentally different from those elicited by chemical stimuli is an open question. Here, we show that the requirement for a stiff substrate (and, therefore, high cellular tension) for cells to produce large focal adhesions and stress fibers is obviated when a soft substrate contains both hyaluronic acid (HA) and an integrin ligand (collagen I). HA is a major extracellular matrix component that is often up-regulated during wound healing and tumor growth. HA, together with collagen I, promotes hepatocellular carcinoma cell (Huh7) spreading on very soft substrates (300 Pa), resulting in morphology and motility similar to what these cells develop only on stiff substrates (>30 kPa) formed by polyacrylamide that contains collagen but not HA. The effect of HA requires turnover of polyphosphoinositides and leads to the activation of Akt. The inhibition of polyphosphoinositide turnover causes Huh7 cells and fibroblasts to decrease spreading and detach, whereas cells on stiffer substrates show almost no response. Traction force microscopy shows that the cell maintains a low strain energy and net contractile moment on HA substrates compared to stiff polyacrylamide substrates. Membrane tension measured by tether pulling is similar on soft HA and stiff polyacrylamide substrates. These results suggest that simultaneous signaling stimulated by HA and an integrin ligand can generate phosphoinositide-mediated signals to the cytoskeleton that reproduce those generated by high cellular tension.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Dikla Raz-Ben Aroush
- Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology , University of Oxford , Oxford OX3 7FY , United Kingdom
| | | | | | - Chan Young Park
- School of Public Health , Harvard University , Boston , Massachusetts 02115 , United States
| | - Jeffery J Fredberg
- School of Public Health , Harvard University , Boston , Massachusetts 02115 , United States
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25
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Wang Y, Wang A, Zhang M, Zeng H, Lu Y, Liu L, Li J, Deng L. Artesunate attenuates airway resistance in vivo and relaxes airway smooth muscle cells in vitro via bitter taste receptor-dependent calcium signalling. Exp Physiol 2018; 104:231-243. [PMID: 30379382 DOI: 10.1113/ep086824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2017] [Accepted: 10/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
NEW FINDINGS What is the central question of this study? The aim of this study was to evaluate artesunate for its use as a bronchodilator in asthma treatment. What is the main finding and its importance? We found that artesunate reduces airway resistance in both normal and ovalbumin-treated Balb/c mice in vivo. Artesunate reduces traction force while inducing Ca2+ influx into cultured airway smooth muscle cells in vitro, most probably via the bitter taste receptor. These findings provide important evidence at both animal and cellular levels that artesunate might potentially be used as a bronchodilator for treating obstructive airway diseases, such as asthma. ABSTRACT Following the surprising discovery that bitter taste receptors (TAS2Rs) expressed in the lung and can be stimulated to relax airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs), there is great interest in searching for a bitter taste receptor agonist as a new bronchodilator for asthma therapy. Among the great many other natural bitter substances, artesunate is of special interest to be evaluated for this purpose because of its pharmacological value as a derivative from the well-known anti-malarial, artemisinin. Therefore, in this study we treated either normal or ovalbumin (OVA)-induced asthmatic Balb/c mice in vivo with artesunate (30, 60 or 120 μg) via aerosol inhalation. Subsequently, we measured the airway resistance of the mice in the presence or absence of artesunate. In addition, we treated either mouse or human ASMCs cultured in vitro with artesunate (0.25-2.0 mM) and then measured the traction force and [Ca2+ ]i flux of the cells in the presence or absence of artesunate. The results demonstrate that artesunate attenuated airway resistance in a dose-dependent manner in both the normal and the OVA-treated mice, but more potently in the latter. The in vivo efficacy of artesunate at 120 μg was comparable to that of the conventional bronchodilator, salbutamol, at 3 μg in terms of the reduction in airway resistance. Artesunate also reduced traction force and induced an increase in [Ca2+ ]i in the cultured ASMCs, which was mediated, at least in part, by TAS2R signalling in the human ASMCs. These results together suggest that artesunate might potentially be a cheap and safe bronchodilator to complement the current therapy of asthma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Wang
- Changzhou Key Laboratory of Respiratory Medical Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences, Changzhou University, Changzhou, Jiangsu, 213164, China.,School of Pharmaceutical Engineering and Life Science & School of Nursing, Changzhou University, Changzhou, Jiangsu, 213164, China
| | - Aili Wang
- Changzhou Key Laboratory of Respiratory Medical Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences, Changzhou University, Changzhou, Jiangsu, 213164, China.,School of Pharmaceutical Engineering and Life Science & School of Nursing, Changzhou University, Changzhou, Jiangsu, 213164, China
| | - Ming Zhang
- Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Changzhou No. 2 People's Hospital, Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Changzhou, Jiangsu, 213003, China
| | - Huilong Zeng
- Changzhou Key Laboratory of Respiratory Medical Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences, Changzhou University, Changzhou, Jiangsu, 213164, China
| | - Yun Lu
- Changzhou Key Laboratory of Respiratory Medical Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences, Changzhou University, Changzhou, Jiangsu, 213164, China
| | - Lei Liu
- Changzhou Key Laboratory of Respiratory Medical Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences, Changzhou University, Changzhou, Jiangsu, 213164, China
| | - Jingjing Li
- Changzhou Key Laboratory of Respiratory Medical Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences, Changzhou University, Changzhou, Jiangsu, 213164, China
| | - Linhong Deng
- Changzhou Key Laboratory of Respiratory Medical Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences, Changzhou University, Changzhou, Jiangsu, 213164, China.,School of Pharmaceutical Engineering and Life Science & School of Nursing, Changzhou University, Changzhou, Jiangsu, 213164, China
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26
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Contractility of Airway Smooth Muscle Cell in Response to Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles by Traction Force Microscopy. Ann Biomed Eng 2018; 46:2000-2011. [PMID: 30051243 DOI: 10.1007/s10439-018-2098-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/28/2018] [Accepted: 07/17/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) have been widely used in engineering and biomedicine. However, their adverse pathological effects and mechanisms, especially the biomechanical effects on respiratory system where airway smooth muscle cell (ASMC) contractility regulates the airway response and lung function, are not fully understood. Herein, we used traction force microscopy (TFM) method to investigate whether ZnO-NPs of different concentrations (0.1-10 μg/mL) can alter ASMC contractility (basal and agonist-stimulated) after a short-term exposure and the potential mechanisms. We found that ZnO-NPs exposure led to a decrease of ASMC viability in a dose-dependent manner. Notably, basal contractility was enhanced when the concentration of ZnO-NPs was less than 0.1 μg/mL and decreased afterwards, while KCl-stimulated contractility was reduced in all cases of ZnO-NPs treated groups. Cytoskeleton structure was also found to be significantly altered in ASMC with the stimulation of ZnO-NPs. More importantly, it seems that ZnO-NPs with low concentration (< 0.1 μg/mL) would change ASMC contractility without any apparent cytotoxicity through disruption of the microtubule assembly. Moreover, our results also emerged that ASMC contractility responses were regulated by clathrin-mediated endocytosis and cytoskeleton remodeling. Together, these findings indicate the susceptibility of cell mechanics to NPs exposure, suggesting that cell mechanical testing will contribute to uncover the pathological mechanisms of NPs in respiratory diseases.
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27
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Tojkander S, Ciuba K, Lappalainen P. CaMKK2 Regulates Mechanosensitive Assembly of Contractile Actin Stress Fibers. Cell Rep 2018; 24:11-19. [DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2018] [Revised: 05/07/2018] [Accepted: 06/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
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28
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Savinko T, Guenther C, Uotila LM, Llort Asens M, Yao S, Tojkander S, Fagerholm SC. Filamin A Is Required for Optimal T Cell Integrin-Mediated Force Transmission, Flow Adhesion, and T Cell Trafficking. THE JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY 2018; 200:3109-3116. [PMID: 29581355 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.1700913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2017] [Accepted: 03/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
T cells traffic from the bloodstream into tissues to perform their functions in the immune system and are therefore subjected to a range of different mechanical forces. Integrins are essential for T cell trafficking into the tissues, as they mediate firm adhesion between the T cell and the endothelium under shear flow conditions. In addition, integrins are important for the formation of the contact between the T cell and the APC required for T cell activation. The actin-binding protein filamin A (FlnA) provides an important link between the integrin and the actin cytoskeleton. FlnA has been reported to function as an integrin inhibitor by competing with talin. However, its role in regulating integrin-dependent immune functions in vivo is currently poorly understood. In this study, we have investigated the role of FlnA in T cells, using T cell-specific FlnA knockout mice. We report that FlnA is required for the formation of strong integrin-ligand bonds under shear flow and for the generation of integrin-mediated T cell traction forces on ligand-coated hydrogels. Consequently, absence of FlnA leads to a reduction in T cell adhesion to integrin ligands under conditions of shear flow, as well as reduced T cell trafficking into lymph nodes and sites of skin inflammation. In addition, FlnA is not needed for T cell activation in vivo, which occurs in shear-free conditions in lymphoid organs. Our results therefore reveal a role of FlnA in integrin force transmission and T cell trafficking in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Terhi Savinko
- Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, 00790 Helsinki, Finland.,Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, 00790 Helsinki, Finland; and
| | - Carla Guenther
- Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, 00790 Helsinki, Finland.,Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, 00790 Helsinki, Finland; and
| | - Liisa M Uotila
- Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, 00790 Helsinki, Finland.,Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, 00790 Helsinki, Finland; and
| | - Marc Llort Asens
- Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, 00790 Helsinki, Finland.,Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, 00790 Helsinki, Finland; and
| | - Sean Yao
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00790 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sari Tojkander
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00790 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Susanna C Fagerholm
- Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, 00790 Helsinki, Finland; .,Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, 00790 Helsinki, Finland; and
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29
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Guo M, Pegoraro AF, Mao A, Zhou EH, Arany PR, Han Y, Burnette DT, Jensen MH, Kasza KE, Moore JR, Mackintosh FC, Fredberg JJ, Mooney DJ, Lippincott-Schwartz J, Weitz DA. Cell volume change through water efflux impacts cell stiffness and stem cell fate. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2017; 114:E8618-E8627. [PMID: 28973866 PMCID: PMC5642688 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1705179114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 279] [Impact Index Per Article: 39.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Cells alter their mechanical properties in response to their local microenvironment; this plays a role in determining cell function and can even influence stem cell fate. Here, we identify a robust and unified relationship between cell stiffness and cell volume. As a cell spreads on a substrate, its volume decreases, while its stiffness concomitantly increases. We find that both cortical and cytoplasmic cell stiffness scale with volume for numerous perturbations, including varying substrate stiffness, cell spread area, and external osmotic pressure. The reduction of cell volume is a result of water efflux, which leads to a corresponding increase in intracellular molecular crowding. Furthermore, we find that changes in cell volume, and hence stiffness, alter stem-cell differentiation, regardless of the method by which these are induced. These observations reveal a surprising, previously unidentified relationship between cell stiffness and cell volume that strongly influences cell biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ming Guo
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
| | - Adrian F Pegoraro
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
| | - Angelo Mao
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
| | - Enhua H Zhou
- Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Praveen R Arany
- Department of Oral Biology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14214
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14214
| | - Yulong Han
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
- Biomedical Engineering and Biomechanics Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China
| | - Dylan T Burnette
- Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN 37232
| | - Mikkel H Jensen
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, California State University, Sacramento, CA 95819
| | - Karen E Kasza
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027
| | - Jeffrey R Moore
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Massachusetts at Lowell, Lowell, MA 01854
| | - Frederick C Mackintosh
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, VU University, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Rice University, Houston, TX 77030
- Center for Theoretical Biophysics, Rice University, Houston, TX 77030
| | | | - David J Mooney
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
- Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
| | | | - David A Weitz
- John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138;
- Department of Physics, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138
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30
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Rajakylä K, Krishnan R, Tojkander S. Analysis of Contractility and Invasion Potential of Two Canine Mammary Tumor Cell Lines. Front Vet Sci 2017; 4:149. [PMID: 28955712 PMCID: PMC5600937 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2017.00149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2016] [Accepted: 08/28/2017] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Cancer cells are surrounded by a mechanically and biochemically distinct microenvironment that undergoes dynamic changes throughout the neoplastic progression. During this progression, some cancer cells acquire abnormal characteristics that potentiate their escape from the primary tumor site, to establish secondary tumors in distant organs. Recent studies with several human cancer cell lines have shown that the altered physical properties of tumor cells, such as their ability to apply high traction forces to the surroundings, are directly linked with their potential to invade and metastasize. To test the hypothetical interconnection between actomyosin-mediated traction forces and invasion potential within 3D-microenvironment, we utilized two canine mammary tumor cell lines with different contractile properties. These cell lines, canine mammary tumor (CMT)-U27 and CMT-U309, were found to have distinct expression patterns of lineage-specific markers and organization of actin-based structures. In particular, CMT-U309 carcinoma cells were typified by thick contractile actomyosin bundles that exerted high forces to their environment, as measured by traction force microscopy. These high contractile forces also correlated with the prominent invasiveness of the CMT-U309 cell line. Furthermore, we found high contractility and 3D-invasion potential to be dependent on the activity of 5′AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), as blocking AMPK signaling was found to reverse both of these features. Taken together, our findings implicate that actomyosin forces correlate with the invasion potential of the studied cell lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaisa Rajakylä
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Section of Pathology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ramaswamy Krishnan
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Sari Tojkander
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Veterinary Biosciences, Section of Pathology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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31
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Suñé-Auñón A, Jorge-Peñas A, Aguilar-Cuenca R, Vicente-Manzanares M, Van Oosterwyck H, Muñoz-Barrutia A. Full L 1-regularized Traction Force Microscopy over whole cells. BMC Bioinformatics 2017; 18:365. [PMID: 28797233 PMCID: PMC5550960 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-017-1771-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2017] [Accepted: 07/30/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Traction Force Microscopy (TFM) is a widespread technique to estimate the tractions that cells exert on the surrounding substrate. To recover the tractions, it is necessary to solve an inverse problem, which is ill-posed and needs regularization to make the solution stable. The typical regularization scheme is given by the minimization of a cost functional, which is divided in two terms: the error present in the data or data fidelity term; and the regularization or penalty term. The classical approach is to use zero-order Tikhonov or L2-regularization, which uses the L2-norm for both terms in the cost function. Recently, some studies have demonstrated an improved performance using L1-regularization (L1-norm in the penalty term) related to an increase in the spatial resolution and sensitivity of the recovered traction field. In this manuscript, we present a comparison between the previous two regularization schemes (relying in the L2-norm for the data fidelity term) and the full L1-regularization (using the L1-norm for both terms in the cost function) for synthetic and real data. Results Our results reveal that L1-regularizations give an improved spatial resolution (more important for full L1-regularization) and a reduction in the background noise with respect to the classical zero-order Tikhonov regularization. In addition, we present an approximation, which makes feasible the recovery of cellular tractions over whole cells on typical full-size microscope images when working in the spatial domain. Conclusions The proposed full L1-regularization improves the sensitivity to recover small stress footprints. Moreover, the proposed method has been validated to work on full-field microscopy images of real cells, what certainly demonstrates it is a promising tool for biological applications. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12859-017-1771-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alejandro Suñé-Auñón
- Bioengineering and Aerospace Engineering Department, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Leganés, Spain.,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, 28911, Madrid, Spain
| | - Alvaro Jorge-Peñas
- Biomechanics Section, Department of Mechanical Engineering, KU Leuven, 3001, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Rocío Aguilar-Cuenca
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria-Hospital Universitario de la Princesa, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, School of Medicine, 28006, Madrid, Spain
| | - Miguel Vicente-Manzanares
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria-Hospital Universitario de la Princesa, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, School of Medicine, 28006, Madrid, Spain
| | - Hans Van Oosterwyck
- Biomechanics Section, Department of Mechanical Engineering, KU Leuven, 3001, Leuven, Belgium.,Prometheus, Division of Skeletal Tissue Engineering, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Arrate Muñoz-Barrutia
- Bioengineering and Aerospace Engineering Department, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Leganés, Spain. .,Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañón, 28911, Madrid, Spain.
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32
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Interfacing 3D magnetic twisting cytometry with confocal fluorescence microscopy to image force responses in living cells. Nat Protoc 2017; 12:1437-1450. [PMID: 28686583 DOI: 10.1038/nprot.2017.042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
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.
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33
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Jorge-Peñas A, Bové H, Sanen K, Vaeyens MM, Steuwe C, Roeffaers M, Ameloot M, Van Oosterwyck H. 3D full-field quantification of cell-induced large deformations in fibrillar biomaterials by combining non-rigid image registration with label-free second harmonic generation. Biomaterials 2017; 136:86-97. [PMID: 28521203 DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2017.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2016] [Revised: 04/24/2017] [Accepted: 05/07/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
To advance our current understanding of cell-matrix mechanics and its importance for biomaterials development, advanced three-dimensional (3D) measurement techniques are necessary. Cell-induced deformations of the surrounding matrix are commonly derived from the displacement of embedded fiducial markers, as part of traction force microscopy (TFM) procedures. However, these fluorescent markers may alter the mechanical properties of the matrix or can be taken up by the embedded cells, and therefore influence cellular behavior and fate. In addition, the currently developed methods for calculating cell-induced deformations are generally limited to relatively small deformations, with displacement magnitudes and strains typically of the order of a few microns and less than 10% respectively. Yet, large, complex deformation fields can be expected from cells exerting tractions in fibrillar biomaterials, like collagen. To circumvent these hurdles, we present a technique for the 3D full-field quantification of large cell-generated deformations in collagen, without the need of fiducial markers. We applied non-rigid, Free Form Deformation (FFD)-based image registration to compute full-field displacements induced by MRC-5 human lung fibroblasts in a collagen type I hydrogel by solely relying on second harmonic generation (SHG) from the collagen fibrils. By executing comparative experiments, we show that comparable displacement fields can be derived from both fibrils and fluorescent beads. SHG-based fibril imaging can circumvent all described disadvantages of using fiducial markers. This approach allows measuring 3D full-field deformations under large displacement (of the order of 10 μm) and strain regimes (up to 40%). As such, it holds great promise for the study of large cell-induced deformations as an inherent component of cell-biomaterial interactions and cell-mediated biomaterial remodeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvaro Jorge-Peñas
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 300C - Box 2419, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Hannelore Bové
- Biomedical Research Institute, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building C, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium; Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Kathleen Sanen
- Biomedical Research Institute, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building C, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium
| | - Marie-Mo Vaeyens
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 300C - Box 2419, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Christian Steuwe
- Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Maarten Roeffaers
- Centre for Surface Chemistry and Catalysis, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Marcel Ameloot
- Biomedical Research Institute, Hasselt University, Agoralaan Building C, 3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium.
| | - Hans Van Oosterwyck
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 300C - Box 2419, Leuven, Belgium; Prometheus, div. Skeletal Tissue Engineering, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
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High-resolution traction force microscopy on small focal adhesions - improved accuracy through optimal marker distribution and optical flow tracking. Sci Rep 2017; 7:41633. [PMID: 28164999 PMCID: PMC5292691 DOI: 10.1038/srep41633] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2016] [Accepted: 12/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The accurate determination of cellular forces using Traction Force Microscopy at increasingly small focal attachments to the extracellular environment presents an important yet substantial technical challenge. In these measurements, uncertainty regarding accuracy is prominent since experimental calibration frameworks at this size scale are fraught with errors – denying a gold standard against which accuracy of TFM methods can be judged. Therefore, we have developed a simulation platform for generating synthetic traction images that can be used as a benchmark to quantify the influence of critical experimental parameters and the associated errors. Using this approach, we show that TFM accuracy can be improved >35% compared to the standard approach by placing fluorescent beads as densely and closely as possible to the site of applied traction. Moreover, we use the platform to test tracking algorithms based on optical flow that measure deformation directly at the beads and show that these can dramatically outperform classical particle image velocimetry algorithms in terms of noise sensitivity and error. We then report how optimized experimental and numerical strategy can improve traction map accuracy, and further provide the best available benchmark to date for defining practical limits to TFM accuracy as a function of focal adhesion size.
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35
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An SS, Liggett SB. Taste and smell GPCRs in the lung: Evidence for a previously unrecognized widespread chemosensory system. Cell Signal 2017; 41:82-88. [PMID: 28167233 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellsig.2017.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2017] [Accepted: 02/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Taste and smell receptor expression has been traditionally limited to the tongue and nose. We have identified bitter taste receptors (TAS2Rs) and olfactory receptors (ORs) on human airway smooth muscle (HASM) cells. TAS2Rs signal to PLCβ evoking an increase in [Ca2+]i causing membrane hyperpolarization and marked HASM relaxation ascertained by single cell, ex vivo, and in vivo methods. The presence of TAS2Rs in the lung was unexpected, as was the bronchodilatory function which has been shown to be due to signaling within specific microdomains of the cell. Unlike β2-adrenergic receptor-mediated bronchodilation, TAS2R function is not impaired in asthma and shows little tachyphylaxis. HASM ORs do not bronchodilate, but rather modulate cytoskeletal remodeling and hyperplasia, two cardinal features of asthma. We have shown that short chain fatty acids, byproducts of fermentation of polysaccharides by the gut microbiome, activate HASM ORs. This establishes a non-immune gut-lung mechanism that ties observations on gut microbial communities to asthma phenotypes. Subsequent studies by multiple investigators have revealed expression and specialized functions of TAS2Rs and ORs in multiple cell-types and organs throughout the body. Collectively, the data point towards a previously unrecognized chemosensory system which recognizes endogenous and exogenous agonists. These receptors and their ligands play roles in normal homeostatic functions, predisposition or adaptation to disease, and represent drug targets for novel therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven S An
- Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21205, United States.
| | - Stephen B Liggett
- Department of Internal Medicine, Center for Personalized Medicine and Genomics, University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, 12901 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., MDC 2, Tampa, FL 33612, United States; Department of Pharmacology and Physiology, Center for Personalized Medicine and Genomics, University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, 12901 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., MDC 2, Tampa, FL 33612, United States.
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Wang Y, Lu Y, Luo M, Shi X, Pan Y, Zeng H, Deng L. Evaluation of pharmacological relaxation effect of the natural product naringin on in vitro cultured airway smooth muscle cells and in vivo ovalbumin-induced asthma Balb/c mice. Biomed Rep 2016; 5:715-722. [PMID: 28101344 DOI: 10.3892/br.2016.797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2016] [Accepted: 09/29/2016] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Asthma has become a common chronic respiratory disease worldwide and its prevalence is predicted to continue increasing in the next decade, particularly in developing countries. A key component in asthma therapy is to alleviate the excessive bronchial airway narrowing ultimately due to airway smooth muscle contraction, which is often facilitated by a smooth muscle relaxant, such as the β2-adrenergic agonists. Recently, bitter taste receptor (TAS2R) agonists, including saccharin and chloroquine, have been found to potently relax the airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) via intracellular Ca2+ signaling. This inspires a great interest in screening the vast resource of natural bitter substances for potential bronchodilatory drugs. In the present study, the relaxation effect of naringin, a compound extracted from common grapefruit, on ASMCs cultured in vitro or bronchial airways of Balb/c mice in vivo was evaluated. The results demonstrated that, when exposed to increasing doses of naringin (0.125, 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0 mM), the traction force generated by the cultured ASMCs decreased progressively, while the intracellular calcium flux signaling in the ASMCs increased. When inhaled at increasing doses (15, 30 and 60 µg), naringin also dose-dependently reduced the bronchial airway resistance of the normal and ovalbumin-induced asthma Balb/c mice in response to challenge with methacholine. In conclusion, these findings indicate that naringin was able to effectively relax murine ASMCs in vitro and in vivo, thus suggesting that it is a promising drug agent to be further investigated in the development of novel bronchodilators for the treatment of asthma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Wang
- Changzhou Key Laboratory of Respiratory Medical Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences, Changzhou University, Changzhou, Jiangsu 213164, P.R. China; School of Nursing, Changzhou University, Changzhou, Jiangsu 213164, P.R. China; School of Pharmaceutical Engineering and Life Science, Changzhou University, Changzhou, Jiangsu 213164, P.R. China
| | - Yun Lu
- Changzhou Key Laboratory of Respiratory Medical Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences, Changzhou University, Changzhou, Jiangsu 213164, P.R. China; School of Pharmaceutical Engineering and Life Science, Changzhou University, Changzhou, Jiangsu 213164, P.R. China
| | - Mingzhi Luo
- Changzhou Key Laboratory of Respiratory Medical Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences, Changzhou University, Changzhou, Jiangsu 213164, P.R. China
| | - Xiaohao Shi
- Changzhou Key Laboratory of Respiratory Medical Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences, Changzhou University, Changzhou, Jiangsu 213164, P.R. China
| | - Yan Pan
- Changzhou Key Laboratory of Respiratory Medical Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences, Changzhou University, Changzhou, Jiangsu 213164, P.R. China
| | - Huilong Zeng
- Changzhou Key Laboratory of Respiratory Medical Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences, Changzhou University, Changzhou, Jiangsu 213164, P.R. China; School of Pharmaceutical Engineering and Life Science, Changzhou University, Changzhou, Jiangsu 213164, P.R. China
| | - Linhong Deng
- Changzhou Key Laboratory of Respiratory Medical Engineering, Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Health Sciences, Changzhou University, Changzhou, Jiangsu 213164, P.R. China; School of Nursing, Changzhou University, Changzhou, Jiangsu 213164, P.R. China; School of Pharmaceutical Engineering and Life Science, Changzhou University, Changzhou, Jiangsu 213164, P.R. China
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Müller C, Pompe T. Distinct impacts of substrate elasticity and ligand affinity on traction force evolution. SOFT MATTER 2016; 12:272-280. [PMID: 26451588 DOI: 10.1039/c5sm01706h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Cell adhesion is regulated by the mechanical characteristics of the cell environment. The influences of different parameters of the adhesive substrates are convoluted in the cell response leading to questions on the underlying mechanisms, like biochemical signaling on the level of adhesion molecules, or viscoelastic properties of substrates and cell. By a time-resolved analysis of traction force generation during early cell adhesion, we wanted to elucidate the contributions of substrate mechanics to the adhesion process, in particular the impact of substrate elasticity and the molecular friction of adhesion ligands on the substrate surface. Both parameters were independently adjusted by (i) an elastic polyacrylamide hydrogel of variable crosslinking degree and (ii) a thin polymer coating of the hydrogel surface controlling the affinity (and the correlated substrate-ligand friction) of the adhesion ligand fibronectin. Our analysis showed two sequential regimes of considerable force generation, whose occurrence was found to be independent of substrate properties. The first regime is characterized by spreading of the cell and a succeeding force increase. After spreading cells enter the second regime with saturated forces. Substrate elasticity and viscosity, namely hydrogel elasticity and ligand affinity, were both found to affect the kinetics and absolute levels of traction force quantities. A faster increase and a higher saturation level of traction forces were observed for a higher substrate stiffness and a higher ligand affinity. The results complement recent modeling approaches on the evolution of forces in cell spreading and contribute to a better understanding of the dynamics of cell adhesion on viscoelastic substrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Müller
- Faculty of Biosciences, Pharmacy and Psychology, Universität Leipzig, Johannisallee 21-23, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Tilo Pompe
- Faculty of Biosciences, Pharmacy and Psychology, Universität Leipzig, Johannisallee 21-23, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
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38
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Bjelde BE, Miller NA, Stillman JH, Todgham AE. The Role of Oxygen in Determining Upper Thermal Limits in Lottia digitalis under Air Exposure and Submersion. Physiol Biochem Zool 2015; 88:483-93. [PMID: 26658246 DOI: 10.1086/682220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Oxygen limitation of aerobic metabolism is hypothesized to drive organismal thermal tolerance limits. Differences in oxygen availability in air and water may underlie observed differences in upper thermal tolerance of intertidal limpets if oxygen is limiting in submerged environments. We explored how cardiac performance (heart rate, breakpoint temperature [BPT], flat-line temperature [FLT], and temperature sensitivity) was affected by hyperoxia and hypoxia in the finger limpet, Lottia digitalis, under air exposure and submersion. Upper thermal tolerance limits were unchanged by increasing availability of oxygen, although air-exposed limpets were able to maintain cardiac function to higher temperatures than submerged limpets. Maximum heart rate did not increase with greater partial pressure of oxygen (Po2), suggesting that tissue Po2 levels are likely maximized during normoxia. Hypoxia reduced breakpoint BPTs and FLTs in air-exposed and submerged limpets and accentuated the difference in BPTs between the two groups through greater reductions in BPT in submerged limpets. Differences in respiratory structures and the degree to which thermal limits are already maximized may play significant roles in determining how oxygen availability influences upper temperature tolerance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brittany E Bjelde
- Department of Biology, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California 94132; 2Department of Animal Science, University of California, Davis, California 95616; 3Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies, San Francisco State University, Tiburon, California 94920; 4Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720
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Jorge-Peñas A, Izquierdo-Alvarez A, Aguilar-Cuenca R, Vicente-Manzanares M, Garcia-Aznar JM, Van Oosterwyck H, de-Juan-Pardo EM, Ortiz-de-Solorzano C, Muñoz-Barrutia A. Free Form Deformation-Based Image Registration Improves Accuracy of Traction Force Microscopy. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0144184. [PMID: 26641883 PMCID: PMC4671587 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0144184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2015] [Accepted: 11/13/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Traction Force Microscopy (TFM) is a widespread method used to recover cellular tractions from the deformation that they cause in their surrounding substrate. Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) is commonly used to quantify the substrate’s deformations, due to its simplicity and efficiency. However, PIV relies on a block-matching scheme that easily underestimates the deformations. This is especially relevant in the case of large, locally non-uniform deformations as those usually found in the vicinity of a cell’s adhesions to the substrate. To overcome these limitations, we formulate the calculation of the deformation of the substrate in TFM as a non-rigid image registration process that warps the image of the unstressed material to match the image of the stressed one. In particular, we propose to use a B-spline -based Free Form Deformation (FFD) algorithm that uses a connected deformable mesh to model a wide range of flexible deformations caused by cellular tractions. Our FFD approach is validated in 3D fields using synthetic (simulated) data as well as with experimental data obtained using isolated endothelial cells lying on a deformable, polyacrylamide substrate. Our results show that FFD outperforms PIV providing a deformation field that allows a better recovery of the magnitude and orientation of tractions. Together, these results demonstrate the added value of the FFD algorithm for improving the accuracy of traction recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvaro Jorge-Peñas
- Biomechanics Section, Department of Mechanical Engineering, KU Leuven, 3001, Leuven, Belgium
| | | | - Rocio Aguilar-Cuenca
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria-Hospital Universitario de la Princesa, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, School of Medicine, 28006, Madrid, Spain
| | - Miguel Vicente-Manzanares
- Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria-Hospital Universitario de la Princesa, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, School of Medicine, 28006, Madrid, Spain
| | - José Manuel Garcia-Aznar
- Multiscale in Mechanical and Biological Engineering (M2BE), Department of Mechanical Engineering, Aragon Institute of Engineering Research (I3A), University of Zaragoza, 50018, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Hans Van Oosterwyck
- Biomechanics Section, Department of Mechanical Engineering, KU Leuven, 3001, Leuven, Belgium
- Prometheus, Division of Skeletal Tissue Engineering, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Elena M. de-Juan-Pardo
- Regenerative Medicine Program, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, 4059, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Carlos Ortiz-de-Solorzano
- Cancer Imaging Laboratory, Program in Solid Tumors and Biomarkers, Center for Applied Medical Research (CIMA), University of Navarra, Navarra’s Health Research Institute (IDISNA), 31008, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Arrate Muñoz-Barrutia
- Bioengineering and Aerospace Engineering Department, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Gregorio Marañon, 28911, Madrid, Spain
- * E-mail:
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40
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Devor DP, Kuhn DE, O'Brien KM, Crockett EL. Hyperoxia Does Not Extend Critical Thermal Maxima (CTmax) in White- or Red-Blooded Antarctic Notothenioid Fishes. Physiol Biochem Zool 2015; 89:1-9. [PMID: 27082520 DOI: 10.1086/684812] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Understanding what limits the capacity of organisms to tolerate increasing temperatures is a critical objective in comparative biology. Using an experimental system of Antarctic notothenioid fishes, we sought to determine whether a mismatch between oxygen demand and oxygen supply was responsible for setting thermal tolerance limits. Previous studies have shown that Antarctic icefishes (family Channichthyidae), which lack hemoglobin, have lower critical thermal maxima (CTmax) than red-blooded notothenioids collected from the same region of the Antarctic (Western Antarctic Peninsula). In addition, within the notothenioid fishes there exists a positive correlation between CTmax and hematocrit. We tested the hypothesis that the lower CTmax of icefishes is associated with reduced oxygen supply. We employed an experimental heat ramp (4°C h(-1)) to determine CTmax under both normoxic and hyperoxic conditions and quantified correlates of oxygen limitation (lactate levels and expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α) in white-blooded Chaenocephalus aceratus and red-blooded Notothenia coriiceps. Hyperoxia, corresponding to a three- to fourfold increase in seawater Po2, did not extend CTmax in either species despite an overall mitigation in the rise of plasma and muscle lactate compared with the normoxic treatment. Our results also indicate that cardiac HIF-1α mRNA levels were insensitive to changes in both temperature and oxygen treatments. The absence of a change in CTmax with hyperoxia is likely to represent the contribution of factors beyond oxygen supply to physiological failure at elevated temperatures.
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41
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Bidan CM, Veldsink AC, Meurs H, Gosens R. Airway and Extracellular Matrix Mechanics in COPD. Front Physiol 2015; 6:346. [PMID: 26696894 PMCID: PMC4667091 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2015.00346] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2015] [Accepted: 11/06/2015] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the most common lung diseases worldwide, and is characterized by airflow obstruction that is not fully reversible with treatment. Even though airflow obstruction is caused by airway smooth muscle contraction, the extent of airway narrowing depends on a range of other structural and functional determinants that impact on active and passive tissue mechanics. Cells and extracellular matrix in the airway and parenchymal compartments respond both passively and actively to the mechanical stimulation induced by smooth muscle contraction. In this review, we summarize the factors that regulate airway narrowing and provide insight into the relative contributions of different constituents of the extracellular matrix and their biomechanical impact on airway obstruction. We then review the changes in extracellular matrix composition in the airway and parenchymal compartments at different stages of COPD, and finally discuss how these changes impact airway narrowing and the development of airway hyperresponsiveness. Finally, we position these data in the context of therapeutic research focused on defective tissue repair. As a conclusion, we propose that future works should primarily target mild or early COPD, prior to the widespread structural changes in the alveolar compartment that are more characteristic of severe COPD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cécile M Bidan
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, University of Groningen Groningen, Netherlands ; Groningen Research Institute for Asthma and COPD, University of Groningen Netherlands ; Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire de Physique (LIPhy), Université Grenoble Alpes Grenoble, France ; Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, LIPhy Grenoble, France
| | - Annemiek C Veldsink
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, University of Groningen Groningen, Netherlands ; Groningen Research Institute for Asthma and COPD, University of Groningen Netherlands
| | - Herman Meurs
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, University of Groningen Groningen, Netherlands ; Groningen Research Institute for Asthma and COPD, University of Groningen Netherlands
| | - Reinoud Gosens
- Department of Molecular Pharmacology, University of Groningen Groningen, Netherlands ; Groningen Research Institute for Asthma and COPD, University of Groningen Netherlands
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42
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Brask JB, Singla-Buxarrais G, Uroz M, Vincent R, Trepat X. Compressed sensing traction force microscopy. Acta Biomater 2015; 26:286-94. [PMID: 26300336 DOI: 10.1016/j.actbio.2015.08.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2015] [Revised: 07/30/2015] [Accepted: 08/18/2015] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Adherent cells exert traction forces on their substrate, and these forces play important roles in biological functions such as mechanosensing, cell differentiation and cancer invasion. The method of choice to assess these active forces is traction force microscopy (TFM). Despite recent advances, TFM remains highly sensitive to measurement noise and exhibits limited spatial resolution. To improve the resolution and noise robustness of TFM, here we adapt techniques from compressed sensing (CS) to the reconstruction of the traction field from the substrate displacement field. CS enables the recovery of sparse signals at higher resolution from lower resolution data. Focal adhesions (FAs) of adherent cells are spatially sparse implying that traction fields are also sparse. Here we show, by simulation and by experiment, that the CS approach enables circumventing the Nyquist-Shannon sampling theorem to faithfully reconstruct the traction field at a higher resolution than that of the displacement field. This allows reaching state-of-the-art resolution using only a medium magnification objective. We also find that CS improves reconstruction quality in the presence of noise. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE A great scientific advance of the past decade is the recognition that physical forces determine an increasing list of biological processes. Traction force microscopy which measures the forces that cells exert on their surroundings has seen significant recent improvements, however the technique remains sensitive to measurement noise and severely limited in spatial resolution. We exploit the fact that the force fields are sparse to boost the spatial resolution and noise robustness by applying ideas from compressed sensing. The novel method allows high resolution on a larger field of view. This may in turn allow better understanding of the cell forces at the multicellular level, which are known to be important in wound healing and cancer invasion.
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43
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Knoll SG, Ali MY, Saif MTA. A novel method for localizing reporter fluorescent beads near the cell culture surface for traction force microscopy. J Vis Exp 2014:51873. [PMID: 25286326 DOI: 10.3791/51873] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
PA gels have long been used as a platform to study cell traction forces due to ease of fabrication and the ability to tune their elastic properties. When the substrate is coated with an extracellular matrix protein, cells adhere to the gel and apply forces, causing the gel to deform. The deformation depends on the cell traction and the elastic properties of the gel. If the deformation field of the surface is known, surface traction can be calculated using elasticity theory. Gel deformation is commonly measured by embedding fluorescent marker beads uniformly into the gel. The probes displace as the gel deforms. The probes near the surface of the gel are tracked. The displacements reported by these probes are considered as surface displacements. Their depths from the surface are ignored. This assumption introduces error in traction force evaluations. For precise measurement of cell forces, it is critical for the location of the beads to be known. We have developed a technique that utilizes simple chemistry to confine fluorescent marker beads, 0.1 and 1 µm in diameter, in PA gels, within 1.6 μm of the surface. We coat a coverslip with poly-D-lysine (PDL) and fluorescent beads. PA gel solution is then sandwiched between the coverslip and an adherent surface. The fluorescent beads transfer to the gel solution during curing. After polymerization, the PA gel contains fluorescent beads on a plane close to the gel surface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samantha G Knoll
- Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
| | - M Yakut Ali
- Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
| | - M Taher A Saif
- Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign;
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Jorge-Peñas A, Muñoz-Barrutia A, de-Juan-Pardo EM, Ortiz-de-Solorzano C. Validation tool for traction force microscopy. Comput Methods Biomech Biomed Engin 2014; 18:1377-85. [PMID: 24697293 DOI: 10.1080/10255842.2014.903934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Traction force microscopy (TFM) is commonly used to estimate cells' traction forces from the deformation that they cause on their substrate. The accuracy of TFM highly depends on the computational methods used to measure the deformation of the substrate and estimate the forces, and also on the specifics of the experimental set-up. Computer simulations can be used to evaluate the effect of both the computational methods and the experimental set-up without the need to perform numerous experiments. Here, we present one such TFM simulator that addresses several limitations of the existing ones. As a proof of principle, we recreate a TFM experimental set-up, and apply a classic 2D TFM algorithm to recover the forces. In summary, our simulator provides a valuable tool to study the performance, refine experimentally, and guide the extraction of biological conclusions from TFM experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Jorge-Peñas
- a Tissue Engineering and Biomaterials Unit, CEIT and TECNUN, University of Navarra , San Sebastian , Spain
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45
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Zielinski R, Mihai C, Kniss D, Ghadiali SN. Finite element analysis of traction force microscopy: influence of cell mechanics, adhesion, and morphology. J Biomech Eng 2014; 135:71009. [PMID: 23720059 DOI: 10.1115/1.4024467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2012] [Accepted: 05/08/2013] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The interactions between adherent cells and their extracellular matrix (ECM) have been shown to play an important role in many biological processes, such as wound healing, morphogenesis, differentiation, and cell migration. Cells attach to the ECM at focal adhesion sites and transmit contractile forces to the substrate via cytoskeletal actin stress fibers. This contraction results in traction stresses within the substrate/ECM. Traction force microscopy (TFM) is an experimental technique used to quantify the contractile forces generated by adherent cells. In TFM, cells are seeded on a flexible substrate and displacements of the substrate caused by cell contraction are tracked and converted to a traction stress field. The magnitude of these traction stresses are normally used as a surrogate measure of internal cell contractile force or contractility. We hypothesize that in addition to contractile force, other biomechanical properties including cell stiffness, adhesion energy density, and cell morphology may affect the traction stresses measured by TFM. In this study, we developed finite element models of the 2D and 3D TFM techniques to investigate how changes in several biomechanical properties alter the traction stresses measured by TFM. We independently varied cell stiffness, cell-ECM adhesion energy density, cell aspect ratio, and contractility and performed a sensitivity analysis to determine which parameters significantly contribute to the measured maximum traction stress and net contractile moment. Results suggest that changes in cell stiffness and adhesion energy density can significantly alter measured tractions, independent of contractility. Based on a sensitivity analysis, we developed a correction factor to account for changes in cell stiffness and adhesion and successfully applied this correction factor algorithm to experimental TFM measurements in invasive and noninvasive cancer cells. Therefore, application of these types of corrections to TFM measurements can yield more accurate estimates of cell contractility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Zielinski
- Biomedical Engineering Department, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
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46
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Liu K, Yuan Y, Huang J, Wei Q, Pang M, Xiong C, Fang J. Improved-throughput traction microscopy based on fluorescence micropattern for manual microscopy. PLoS One 2013; 8:e70122. [PMID: 23936383 PMCID: PMC3731345 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0070122] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2013] [Accepted: 06/17/2013] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Traction force microscopy (TFM) is a quantitative technique for measuring cellular traction force, which is important in understanding cellular mechanotransduction processes. Traditional TFM has a significant limitation in that it has a low measurement throughput, commonly one per TFM dish, due to a lack of cell position information. To obtain enough cellular traction force data, an onerous workload is required including numerous TFM dish preparations and heavy cell-seeding activities, creating further difficulty in achieving identical experimental conditions among batches. In this paper, we present an improved-throughput TFM method using the well-developed microcontact printing technique and chemical modifications of linking microbeads to the gel surface to address these limitations. Chemically linking the microbeads to the gel surface has no significant influence on cell proliferation, morphology, cytoskeleton, and adhesion. Multiple pairs of force loaded and null force fluorescence images can be easily acquired by means of manual microscope with the aid of a fluorescence micropattern made by microcontact printing. Furthermore, keeping the micropattern separate from cells by using gels effectively eliminates the potential negative effect of the micropattern on the cells. This novel design greatly improves the analysis throughput of traditional TFM from one to at least twenty cells per petri dish without losing unique advantages, including a high spatial resolution of traction measurements. This newly developed method will boost the investigation of cell-matrix mechanical interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kai Liu
- Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yuan Yuan
- Department of Mechanics and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Jianyong Huang
- Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Department of Mechanics and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Qiong Wei
- Department of Mechanics and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Mingshu Pang
- Department of Mechanics and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Chunyang Xiong
- Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Department of Mechanics and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
- * E-mail:
| | - Jing Fang
- Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China
- Department of Mechanics and Aerospace Engineering, College of Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
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Mih JD, Marinkovic A, Liu F, Sharif AS, Tschumperlin DJ. Matrix stiffness reverses the effect of actomyosin tension on cell proliferation. J Cell Sci 2012; 125:5974-83. [PMID: 23097048 DOI: 10.1242/jcs.108886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 137] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The stiffness of the extracellular matrix exerts powerful effects on cell proliferation and differentiation, but the mechanisms transducing matrix stiffness into cellular fate decisions remain poorly understood. Two widely reported responses to matrix stiffening are increases in actomyosin contractility and cell proliferation. To delineate their relationship, we modulated cytoskeletal tension in cells grown across a physiological range of matrix stiffnesses. On both synthetic and naturally derived soft matrices, and across a panel of cell types, we observed a striking reversal of the effect of inhibiting actomyosin contractility, switching from the attenuation of proliferation on rigid substrates to the robust promotion of proliferation on soft matrices. Inhibiting contractility on soft matrices decoupled proliferation from cytoskeletal tension and focal adhesion organization, but not from cell spread area. Our results demonstrate that matrix stiffness and actomyosin contractility converge on cell spreading in an unexpected fashion to control a key aspect of cell fate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Justin D Mih
- Molecular and Integrative Physiological Sciences, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA
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Marinković A, Mih JD, Park JA, Liu F, Tschumperlin DJ. Improved throughput traction microscopy reveals pivotal role for matrix stiffness in fibroblast contractility and TGF-β responsiveness. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol 2012; 303:L169-80. [PMID: 22659883 DOI: 10.1152/ajplung.00108.2012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Lung fibroblast functions such as matrix remodeling and activation of latent transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) are associated with expression of the myofibroblast phenotype and are directly linked to fibroblast capacity to generate force and deform the extracellular matrix. However, the study of fibroblast force-generating capacities through methods such as traction force microscopy is hindered by low throughput and time-consuming procedures. In this study, we improved at the detail level methods for higher-throughput traction measurements on polyacrylamide hydrogels using gel-surface-bound fluorescent beads to permit autofocusing and automated displacement mapping, and transduction of fibroblasts with a fluorescent label to streamline cell boundary identification. Together these advances substantially improve the throughput of traction microscopy and allow us to efficiently compute the forces exerted by lung fibroblasts on substrates spanning the stiffness range present in normal and fibrotic lung tissue. Our results reveal that lung fibroblasts dramatically alter the forces they transmit to the extracellular matrix as its stiffness changes, with very low forces generated on matrices as compliant as normal lung tissue. Moreover, exogenous TGF-β1 selectively accentuates tractions on stiff matrices, mimicking fibrotic lung, but not on physiological stiffness matrices, despite equivalent changes in Smad2/3 activation. Taken together, these results demonstrate a pivotal role for matrix mechanical properties in regulating baseline and TGF-β1-stimulated contraction of lung fibroblasts and suggest that stiff fibrotic lung tissue may promote myofibroblast activation through contractility-driven events, whereas normal lung tissue compliance may protect against such feedback amplification of fibroblast activation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandar Marinković
- Molecular and Integrative Physiological Sciences, Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
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Reply to: Activation of BK channels may not be required for bitter tastant-induced bronchodilation. Nat Med 2012; 18:650-1. [PMID: 22561815 DOI: 10.1038/nm.2734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Garzon-Muvdi T, Schiapparelli P, ap Rhys C, Guerrero-Cazares H, Smith C, Kim DH, Kone L, Farber H, Lee DY, An SS, Levchenko A, Quiñones-Hinojosa A. Regulation of brain tumor dispersal by NKCC1 through a novel role in focal adhesion regulation. PLoS Biol 2012; 10:e1001320. [PMID: 22570591 PMCID: PMC3341330 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1001320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2011] [Accepted: 03/21/2012] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma (GB) is a highly invasive and lethal brain tumor due to its universal recurrence. Although it has been suggested that the electroneutral Na(+)-K(+)-Cl(-) cotransporter 1 (NKCC1) can play a role in glioma cell migration, the precise mechanism by which this ion transporter contributes to GB aggressiveness remains poorly understood. Here, we focused on the role of NKCC1 in the invasion of human primary glioma cells in vitro and in vivo. NKCC1 expression levels were significantly higher in GB and anaplastic astrocytoma tissues than in grade II glioma and normal cortex. Pharmacological inhibition and shRNA-mediated knockdown of NKCC1 expression led to decreased cell migration and invasion in vitro and in vivo. Surprisingly, knockdown of NKCC1 in glioma cells resulted in the formation of significantly larger focal adhesions and cell traction forces that were approximately 40% lower than control cells. Epidermal growth factor (EGF), which promotes migration of glioma cells, increased the phosphorylation of NKCC1 through a PI3K-dependant mechanism. This finding is potentially related to WNK kinases. Taken together, our findings suggest that NKCC1 modulates migration of glioma cells by two distinct mechanisms: (1) through the regulation of focal adhesion dynamics and cell contractility and (2) through regulation of cell volume through ion transport. Due to the ubiquitous expression of NKCC1 in mammalian tissues, its regulation by WNK kinases may serve as new therapeutic targets for GB aggressiveness and can be exploited by other highly invasive neoplasms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomas Garzon-Muvdi
- Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Paula Schiapparelli
- Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Colette ap Rhys
- Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Hugo Guerrero-Cazares
- Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Christopher Smith
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Deok-Ho Kim
- Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- Department of Bioengineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Lyonell Kone
- Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Harrison Farber
- Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Danielle Y. Lee
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Steven S. An
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- Department of Physical Sciences in Oncology Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Andre Levchenko
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
| | - Alfredo Quiñones-Hinojosa
- Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
- Department of Oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, United States of America
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