| Summary: | Mechanical force is a fundamental regulator of cell phenotype. Myofibroblasts are central
mediators of fibrosis, a major unmet clinical need characterized by the deposition of
excessive matrix proteins. Traction forces of myofibroblasts play a key role in remodelling the
matrix and modulates the activities of embedded stromal cells. Here, we employ a combination
of unsupervised computational analysis, cytoskeletal profiling and single cell traction force
microscopy as functional readout to uncover how the complex spatiotemporal dynamics and
mechanics of living human myofibroblast shape sub-cellular profiling of traction forces in
fibrosis. We resolve distinct biophysical communities of myofibroblasts, and our results provide
a new paradigm for studying functional heterogeneity in human stromal cells.
|
|---|