Abstract

Cells feel the forces exerted on them by the surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM) environment and respond to them. While many cell fate processes are dictated by these forces, which are highly synchronized in space and time, abnormal force transduction is implicated in the progression of many diseases (muscular dystrophy, cancer). However, material platforms that enable transient, cyclic forces in vitro to recreate an in vivo-like scenario remain a challenge. Here, we report a hydrogel system that rapidly beats (actuates) with spatio-temporal control using a near infra-red light trigger. Small, user-defined mechanical forces (~nN) are exerted on cells growing on the hydrogel surface at frequencies up to 10 Hz, revealing insights into the effect of actuation on cell migration and the kinetics of reversible nuclear translocation of the mechanosensor protein myocardin related transcription factor A, depending on the actuation amplitude, duration and frequency.

Details

Title
Cellular responses to beating hydrogels to investigate mechanotransduction
Author
Chandorkar, Yashoda 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Arturo Castro Nava 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Schweizerhof, Sjören 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Marcel Van Dongen 1 ; Haraszti, Tamás 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Köhler, Jens 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Zhang, Hang 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Windoffer, Reinhard 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Mourran, Ahmed 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Möller, Martin 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; De Laporte, Laura 3   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 DWI – Leibniz-Institut für Interaktive Materialien e.V, Aachen, Germany 
 Institute of Molecular and Cellular Anatomy, Uniklinik, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany 
 DWI – Leibniz-Institut für Interaktive Materialien e.V, Aachen, Germany; ITMC- Institute of Technical and Macromolecular Chemistry, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany 
Pages
1-13
Publication year
2019
Publication date
Sep 2019
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20411723
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2285699428
Copyright
© 2019. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.