Abstract
Cells perceive and respond to their mechanical environment. Membrane tension is a crucial physical parameter involved in cell growth and function but its role in mechanosensation is currently poorly understood. We present a study investigating changes in cell membrane tension as the stiffness of the cell's underlying substrate is varied. Using optical tweezers, membrane tethers were pulled from xenopus retinal ganglion cell (RCG) axons, 3T3 fibroblasts and other cell types on polyacrylamide gels of differing stiffness. The pulling force of the membrane tethers was recorded to assess cell membrane tension, and tethers were visualised using fluorescence imaging. On gels with 100 Pa and 1 kPa stiffness the tension of xenopus RCG axons was found to be unchanged, but higher than when on glass. The tension of 3T3 fibroblasts on glass was found to be similar to the xenopus RCG axon tension.
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