High-Force Magnetic Pulling Cytometer for Probing Cellular Mechanotransduction Pathways
Description/Abstract/Artist Statement
Cellular domains accrue mechanical fluctuations as a means of communication. The process by which these mechanical forces are transmitted into cellular signals is termed, mechanotransduction. To explore these mechanotransduction pathways we developed a magnetic pulling cytometer for applying localized exogenous forces to a target receptor. We coated a micron-sized superparamagnetic bead such that it will bind to the cell’s integrins, the primary receptors responsible for cell adhesion to an extracellular matrix. Using the magnetic pulling cytometer a physiologically relevant force on the order of a few nanonewtons was applied to the bead and thus the cell. In order to determine the forces applied to the cell in situ, we utilized traction force microscopy. Cellular responses to the applied force such as the distribution of forces across the cell and changes in the cytoskeletal network or focal adhesions may now be probed further.
Faculty Advisor/Mentor
Venkat Maruthamuthu
Presentation Type
Poster
Disciplines
Biomechanical Engineering | Molecular, Cellular, and Tissue Engineering
Session Title
Poster Session
Location
Learning Commons, Northwest Atrium
Start Date
2-2-2019 8:00 AM
End Date
2-2-2019 12:30 PM
High-Force Magnetic Pulling Cytometer for Probing Cellular Mechanotransduction Pathways
Learning Commons, Northwest Atrium
Cellular domains accrue mechanical fluctuations as a means of communication. The process by which these mechanical forces are transmitted into cellular signals is termed, mechanotransduction. To explore these mechanotransduction pathways we developed a magnetic pulling cytometer for applying localized exogenous forces to a target receptor. We coated a micron-sized superparamagnetic bead such that it will bind to the cell’s integrins, the primary receptors responsible for cell adhesion to an extracellular matrix. Using the magnetic pulling cytometer a physiologically relevant force on the order of a few nanonewtons was applied to the bead and thus the cell. In order to determine the forces applied to the cell in situ, we utilized traction force microscopy. Cellular responses to the applied force such as the distribution of forces across the cell and changes in the cytoskeletal network or focal adhesions may now be probed further.