Unified description of compressive modulus revealing multiscale mechanics of living cells
How to accurately characterize the modulus of living cells at the whole-cell level with a well-defined measurement geometry and precise mathematical modeling of viscoelastic relaxation is an ongoing challenge in biophysics and mechanobiology. Here, we report combined atomic-force-microscopy (AFM) me...
Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
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American Physical Society
2021-12-01
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Series: | Physical Review Research |
Online Access: | http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.3.043166 |
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author | Dongshi Guan Yusheng Shen Rui Zhang Pingbo Huang Pik-Yin Lai Penger Tong |
author_facet | Dongshi Guan Yusheng Shen Rui Zhang Pingbo Huang Pik-Yin Lai Penger Tong |
author_sort | Dongshi Guan |
collection | DOAJ |
description | How to accurately characterize the modulus of living cells at the whole-cell level with a well-defined measurement geometry and precise mathematical modeling of viscoelastic relaxation is an ongoing challenge in biophysics and mechanobiology. Here, we report combined atomic-force-microscopy (AFM) measurements of stress relaxation and indentation force for 10 cell types ranging from epithelial, muscle, and neuronal cells to blood and stem cells, from which we obtain a unified quantitative description of the compressive modulus E(t) of individual living cells. The cell modulus E(t) is found to have an initial exponential decay at short times t followed by a long-time power-law decay together with a persistent modulus. The three components of E(t) at different timescales thus provide a digital spectrum of mechanical readouts that are closely linked to the hierarchical structure and active stress of living cells. This work provides a reliable experimental framework that can be utilized to characterize the mechanical state of living cells and investigate their physiological functions and diseased states. |
first_indexed | 2024-04-24T10:17:14Z |
format | Article |
id | doaj.art-5db6ba113d484b7080767145636c2de3 |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 2643-1564 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-04-24T10:17:14Z |
publishDate | 2021-12-01 |
publisher | American Physical Society |
record_format | Article |
series | Physical Review Research |
spelling | doaj.art-5db6ba113d484b7080767145636c2de32024-04-12T17:16:12ZengAmerican Physical SocietyPhysical Review Research2643-15642021-12-013404316610.1103/PhysRevResearch.3.043166Unified description of compressive modulus revealing multiscale mechanics of living cellsDongshi GuanYusheng ShenRui ZhangPingbo HuangPik-Yin LaiPenger TongHow to accurately characterize the modulus of living cells at the whole-cell level with a well-defined measurement geometry and precise mathematical modeling of viscoelastic relaxation is an ongoing challenge in biophysics and mechanobiology. Here, we report combined atomic-force-microscopy (AFM) measurements of stress relaxation and indentation force for 10 cell types ranging from epithelial, muscle, and neuronal cells to blood and stem cells, from which we obtain a unified quantitative description of the compressive modulus E(t) of individual living cells. The cell modulus E(t) is found to have an initial exponential decay at short times t followed by a long-time power-law decay together with a persistent modulus. The three components of E(t) at different timescales thus provide a digital spectrum of mechanical readouts that are closely linked to the hierarchical structure and active stress of living cells. This work provides a reliable experimental framework that can be utilized to characterize the mechanical state of living cells and investigate their physiological functions and diseased states.http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.3.043166 |
spellingShingle | Dongshi Guan Yusheng Shen Rui Zhang Pingbo Huang Pik-Yin Lai Penger Tong Unified description of compressive modulus revealing multiscale mechanics of living cells Physical Review Research |
title | Unified description of compressive modulus revealing multiscale mechanics of living cells |
title_full | Unified description of compressive modulus revealing multiscale mechanics of living cells |
title_fullStr | Unified description of compressive modulus revealing multiscale mechanics of living cells |
title_full_unstemmed | Unified description of compressive modulus revealing multiscale mechanics of living cells |
title_short | Unified description of compressive modulus revealing multiscale mechanics of living cells |
title_sort | unified description of compressive modulus revealing multiscale mechanics of living cells |
url | http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.3.043166 |
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