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 |
| Published: |
American Physical Society
2021-12-01
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| Series: | Physical Review Research |
| Online Access: | http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.3.043166 |
| _version_ | 1797210856373616640 |
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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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