Biophysical Properties Of Cells Research Articles

The Role of Vinculin in the Regulation of the Mechanical Properties of Cells

Vinculin couples as a focal adhesion protein the extracellular matrix (ECM) through integrins to the actomyosin cytoskeleton. During the last years vinculin has become the focus of cell mechanical measurements and a key protein regulating the transmission of contractile forces. In earlier reports vinculin has been described as an inhibitor of cell migration on planar substrates, because knock-out of vinculin in F9 mouse embryonic carcinoma cells and mouse embryonic fibroblasts showed increased cell motility on 2D substrates. The role of vinculin in cell invasion through a 3D extracellular matrix is still fragmentarily investigated. This review presents vinculin in its role as a regulator of cellular mechanical functions. Contractile force generation is reduced when vinculin is absent, or enhanced when vinculin is present. Moreover, the generation of contractile forces is a prerequisite for cell invasion through a dense 3D ECM, where the pore-size is smaller than the diameter of the cell nucleus (<2 microm). Measurements of cell's biophysical properties will be presented. In summary, vinculin's leading role among focal adhesion proteins in regulating the mechanical properties of cells will be discussed.

Analysis of cell locomotion on ligand gradient substrates

Directional cell motility plays a key role in many biological processes like morphogenesis, inflammation, wound repair, angiogenesis, immune response, and tumor metastasis. Cells respond to the gradient in surface ligand density by directed locomotion towards the direction of higher ligand density. Theoretical models which address the physical basis underlying the regulatory effect of ligand gradient on cell motility are highly desirable. Predictive models not only contribute to a better understanding of biological processes, but they also provide a quantitative interconnection between cell motility and biophysical properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM) for rational design of biomaterials as scaffolds in tissue engineering. In this work, we consider a one-dimensional (1D) continuum viscoelastic model to predict the cell velocity in response to linearly increasing density of surface ligands on a substrate. The cell is considered as a 1D linear viscoelastic object with position dependent elasticity due to the variation in actin network density. The cell-substrate interaction is characterized by a frictional force, controlled by the density of ligand-receptor pairs. The generation of contractile stresses is described in terms of kinetic equations for the reactions between actins, myosins, and guanine nucleotide regulatory proteins. The model predictions show a reasonable agreement with experimentally measured cell speeds, considering biologically relevant values for the model parameters. The model predicts a biphasic relationship between cell speed and slope of gradient as well as a maximum limiting speed after a finite migration time. For a given slope of ligand gradient, the onset of the limiting speed appears at longer times for substrates with lower ligand gradients. The model can be applied to the design of biomaterials as scaffolds for guided tissue regeneration as it predicts an optimum range for the slope of ligand gradient.

Effects of Histochrom and Emoxypin on Biophysical Properties of Electroexitable Cells

Comparative investigation of effects of antioxidant agents histochrom and emoxypin on biophysical characteristics of isolated neurons from shell Lymnaea stagnalis under normal conditions and during oxidative stress was performed. Differently directed effects of these compounds on resting potential and transmembrane ion currents of neural cells under normal conditions were detected. Histochrom provides hyperpolarizing and emoxypin--depolarizing effect on neuronal membrane potential. Under conditions of oxidative stress both products possess antioxidant action. Obtained data allows coming closer to understanding of cellular-molecular mechanisms of protective action of compounds.

Dielectric characterization of complete mononuclear and polymorphonuclear blood cell subpopulations for label-free discrimination

Dielectric spectroscopy is a powerful technique for the elucidation of a number of important cell biophysical properties, and it can provide information about cell morphology, physiological state, viability and identity. A high-impact application for dielectric cell analysis would be microfluidic flow-through impedance sensing to perform what is perhaps the most routinely ordered medical diagnostic assay, a complete blood count with white blood cell differential enumeration. To assess the biophysical feasibility of such an analysis, we obtained reference dielectric measurements of the complete complement of purified leukocyte subpopulations using the dielectrophoretic crossover frequency method. The sensitivity of this method can detect subtle changes in cell morphology and physiology, so we developed a leukocyte isolation protocol based on a suite of negative selection techniques to yield cell subpopulations that were minimally processed and in an as near native state as possible. This is the first reported study of the dielectric properties of all the major leukocyte subpopulations that includes separate analysis of the polymorphonuclear neutrophil, basophil and eosinophil cell types. We show that T-lymphocytes, B-lymphocytes, monocytes and granulocytes possess distinct membrane dielectric properties and that the morphologically similar granulocyte subpopulations can be identified via their dielectric and size properties. Finally, we discuss the application of our findings to label-free systems for the analysis of leukocytes.

The Influence of Cell Mechanics, Cell-Cell Interactions, and Proliferation on Epithelial Packing

Epithelial junctional networks assume packing geometries characterized by different cell shapes, neighbor number distributions and areas. The development of specific packing geometries is tightly controlled; in the Drosophila wing epithelium, cells convert from an irregular to a hexagonal array shortly before hair formation. Packing geometry is determined by developmental mechanisms that likely control the biophysical properties of cells and their interactions. To understand how physical cellular properties and proliferation determine cell-packing geometries, we use a vertex model for the epithelial junctional network in which cell packing geometries correspond to stable and stationary network configurations. The model takes into account cell elasticity and junctional forces arising from cortical contractility and adhesion. By numerically simulating proliferation, we generate different network morphologies that depend on physical parameters. These networks differ in polygon class distribution, cell area variation, and the rate of T1 and T2 transitions during growth. Comparing theoretical results to observed cell morphologies reveals regions of parameter space where calculated network morphologies match observed ones. We independently estimate parameter values by quantifying network deformations caused by laser ablating individual cell boundaries. The vertex model accounts qualitatively and quantitatively for the observed packing geometry in the wing disc and its response to perturbation by laser ablation. Epithelial packing geometry is a consequence of both physical cellular properties and the disordering influence of proliferation. The occurrence of T2 transitions during network growth suggests that elimination of cells from the proliferating disc epithelium may be the result of junctional force balances.

Subcellular Trafficking, Pentameric Assembly, and Subunit Stoichiometry of Neuronal Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Containing Fluorescently Labeled α6 and β3 Subunits

Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine (ACh) receptors are ligand-gated, cation-selective ion channels. Nicotinic receptors containing alpha4, alpha6, beta2, and beta3 subunits are expressed in midbrain dopaminergic neurons, and they are implicated in the response to smoked nicotine. Here, we have studied the cell biological and biophysical properties of receptors containing alpha6 and beta3 subunits by using fluorescent proteins fused within the M3-M4 intracellular loop. Receptors containing fluorescently tagged beta3 subunits were fully functional compared with receptors with untagged beta3 subunits. We find that beta3- and alpha6-containing receptors are highly expressed in neurons and that they colocalize with coexpressed, fluorescent alpha4 and beta2 subunits in neuronal soma and dendrites. Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) reveals efficient, specific assembly of beta3 and alpha6 into nicotinic receptor pentamers of various subunit compositions. Using FRET, we demonstrate directly that only a single beta3 subunit is incorporated into nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) containing this subunit, whereas multiple subunit stoichiometries exist for alpha4- and alpha6-containing receptors. Finally, we demonstrate that nicotinic ACh receptors are localized in distinct microdomains at or near the plasma membrane using total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy. We suggest that neurons contain large, intracellular pools of assembled, functional nicotinic receptors, which may provide them with the ability to rapidly up-regulate nicotinic responses to endogenous ligands such as ACh, or to exogenous agents such as nicotine. Furthermore, this report is the first to directly measure nAChR subunit stoichiometry using FRET and plasma membrane localization of alpha6- and beta3-containing receptors using TIRF.

Biomechanics and biophysics of cancer cells

The past decade has seen substantial growth in research into how changes in the biomechanical and biophysical properties of cells and subcellular structures influence, and are influenced by, the onset and progression of human diseases. This paper presents an overview of the rapidly expanding, nascent field of research that deals with the biomechanics and biophysics of cancer cells. The review begins with some key observations on the biology of cancer cells and on the role of actin microfilaments, intermediate filaments and microtubule biopolymer cytoskeletal components in influencing cell mechanics, locomotion, differentiation and neoplastic transformation. In order to set the scene for mechanistic discussions of the connections among alterations to subcellular structures, attendant changes in cell deformability, cytoadherence, migration, invasion and tumor metastasis, a survey is presented of the various quantitative mechanical and physical assays to extract the elastic and viscoelastic deformability of cancer cells. Results available in the literature on cell mechanics for different types of cancer are then reviewed. Representative case studies are presented next to illustrate how chemically induced cytoskeletal changes, biomechanical responses and signals from the intracellular regions act in concert with the chemomechanical environment of the extracellular matrix and the molecular tumorigenic signaling pathways to effect malignant transformations. Results are presented to illustrate how changes to cytoskeletal architecture induced by cancer drugs and chemotherapy regimens can significantly influence cell mechanics and disease state. It is reasoned through experimental evidence that greater understanding of the mechanics of cancer cell deformability and its interactions with the extracellular physical, chemical and biological environments offers enormous potential for significant new developments in disease diagnostics, prophylactics, therapeutics and drug efficacy assays.

Biomechanics and biophysics of cancer cells

The past decade has seen substantial growth in research into how changes in the biomechanical and biophysical properties of cells and subcellular structures influence, and are influenced by, the onset and progression of human diseases. This paper presents an overview of the rapidly expanding, nascent field of research that deals with the biomechanics and biophysics of cancer cells. The review begins with some key observations on the biology of cancer cells and on the role of actin microfilaments, intermediate filaments and microtubule biopolymer cytoskeletal components in influencing cell mechanics, locomotion, differentiation and neoplastic transformation. In order to set the scene for mechanistic discussions of the connections among alterations to subcellular structures, attendant changes in cell deformability, cytoadherence, migration, invasion and tumor metastasis, a survey is presented of the various quantitative mechanical and physical assays to extract the elastic and viscoelastic deformability of cancer cells. Results available in the literature on cell mechanics for different types of cancer are then reviewed. Representative case studies are presented next to illustrate how chemically induced cytoskeletal changes, biomechanical responses and signals from the intracellular regions act in concert with the chemomechanical environment of the extracellular matrix and the molecular tumorigenic signaling pathways to effect malignant transformations. Results are presented to illustrate how changes to cytoskeletal architecture induced by cancer drugs and chemotherapy regimens can significantly influence cell mechanics and disease state. It is reasoned through experimental evidence that greater understanding of the mechanics of cancer cell deformability and its interactions with the extracellular physical, chemical and biological environments offers enormous potential for significant new developments in disease diagnostics, prophylactics, therapeutics and drug efficacy assays.

Biochemical and Biophysical Studies on the Precursor Cells of Mouse Erythrocytes at Different Stages

The aim of this research is to study the biochemical and biophysical properties of the precursor cells of mouse erythrocytes at different stages and the molecular mechanisms of their regulation. We investigated the degree of terminal differentiation of splenic erythroblasts obtained from mice during the acute phase of disease caused by the anemia-inducing FVAstrain of Friend virus. We analyzed the transcription and protein levels of alpha-globin, beta-globin (erythroid special protein) and GATA-1 (a special erythroid transcription factor). We also have examined the Ca2+ concentration, the distribution and amount of F-actin, important cellular components such as nucleic acids, lipids, and proteins, and the adhesion of precursor cells of RBC at different stages to vascular endothelium. Our results indicated that Ca2+ concentration and the distribution and structure of F-actin changed with the development of proerythroblasts, and that the adhesion rate between the precursor cells and endothelial cells can be correlated with the expression levels of ICAM-1 and P-selectin. These alternations caused changes in biophysical properties of the cell, such as membrane fluidity and deformability.

A Method for Generating Precise Temporal Patterns of Retinal Spiking Using Prosthetic Stimulation

The goal of retinal prosthetic devices is to generate meaningful visual information in patients that have lost outer retinal function. To accomplish this, these devices should generate patterns of ganglion cell activity that closely resemble the spatial and temporal components of those patterns that are normally elicited by light. Here, we developed a stimulus paradigm that generates precise temporal patterns of activity in retinal ganglion cells, including those patterns normally generated by light. Electrical stimulus pulses (> or =1-ms duration) elicited activity in neurons distal to the ganglion cells; this resulted in ganglion cell spiking that could last as long as 100 ms. However, short pulses, <0.15 ms, elicited only a single spike within 0.7 ms of the leading edge of the pulse. Trains of these short pulses elicited one spike per pulse at frequencies < or =250 Hz. Patterns of short electrical pulses (derived from normal light elicited spike patterns) were delivered to ganglion cells and generated spike patterns that replicated the normal light patterns. Finally, we found that one spike per pulse was elicited over almost a 2.5:1 range of stimulus amplitudes. Thus a common stimulus amplitude could accommodate a 2.5:1 range of activation thresholds, e.g., caused by differences arising from cell biophysical properties or from variations in electrode-to-cell distance arising when a multielectrode array is placed on the retina. This stimulus paradigm can generate the temporal resolution required for a prosthetic device.

A cell-centered approach to developmental biology

Explaining embryonic development of multicellular organisms requires insight into complex interactions between genetic regulation and physical, generic mechanisms at multiple scales. As more physicists move into developmental biology, we need to be aware of the “cultural” differences between the two fields, whose concepts of “explanations” and “models” traditionally differ: biologists aiming to identify genetic pathways and expression patterns, physicists tending to look for generic underlying principles. Here we discuss how we can combine such biological and physical approaches into a cell-centered approach to developmental biology. Genetic information can only indirectly influence the morphology and physiology of multicellular organisms. DNA translates into proteins and regulatory RNA sequences, which steer the biophysical properties of cells, their response to signals from neighboring cells, and the production and properties of extracellular matrix (ECM). We argue that in many aspects of biological development, cells’ inner workings are irrelevant: what matter are the cell's biophysical properties, the signals it emits and its responses to extracellular signals. Thus we can separate questions about genetic regulation from questions about development. First, we ask what effects a gene network has on cell phenomenology, and how it operates. We then ask through which mechanisms such single-cell phenomenology directs multicellular morphogenesis and physiology. This approach treats the cell as the fundamental module of development. We discuss how this cell-centered approach—which requires significant input from computational biophysics—can assist and supplement experimental research in developmental biology. We review cell-centered approaches, focusing in particular on the Cellular Potts Model (CPM), and present the Tissue Simulation Toolkit which implements the CPM.

Effect of streptolysin O on the microelasticity of human platelets analyzed by atomic force microscopy

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been shown to be a suitable tool to probe biophysical properties of cells and cell fragments. We analysed biophysical alterations of human platelets by AFM using streptolysin O (SLO) as a model for pore forming proteins. Permeabilization of platelet membrane by SLO was confirmed by transmission electron and confocal microscopy. Using force volume imaging combined with FIEL analysis we were able to show dynamically the increase in the elasticity of platelets during the pore formation by SLO and could correlate the viscoelasticity to the morphology of platelets. Stabilizing the actin cytoskeleton by phalloidin resulted in partial restoration of the elasticity indicating that loss of stability in platelets by SLO is mediated by alterations of both plasma membrane and cytoskeleton.

Differential growth and plant tropisms: A study assisted by computer simulation

Tropisms and other movements of a plant organ result from alterations in local rates of cell elongation and a consequent development of a growth differential between its opposite sides. Relative elemental rates of elongation (RELELs) are useful to characterize the pattern of growth along and round an organ. We assume that the value of the RELEL at a given point is dependent on distance from the tip and that the distribution of values along the organ surface can be characterized in terms of the spread and the position of the maximum value. A computer model is described which accomodates these parameters and simulates tropic curvatures due to differential growth. Additional regulatoru functions help to return the stimulated organ to its original orientation. Particular attention is given to the simulation of root gravitropism because here not only do each of the various growth and regulatory parameters have a known biological counterpart, but some can also be given an actual quantitative value. The growth characteristics relate to the biophysical properties of cells in the elongation zone of the root, while the regulatory functions relate to aspects of the graviperception and transmission systems. We believe that, given a suitably flexible model, computer simulation is a powerful means of characterizing, in a quantitative way, the contribution of each parameter to the elongation of plant organs in general and their tropisms in particular.

Simulation of cellular compaction and internalization in mammalian embryo development--II. Models for spherical embryos.

A model based upon minimization of surface energy as an explanation for the phenomena of compaction and internalization of cells during mammalian embryo development is generalized for three-dimensional cells. It is shown that, for a spherical embryo, if cells are assumed to be polygonal cones in shape, the simulation of these phenomena for three-dimensional cells is equivalent to simulations of deformations of two-dimensional cells on the surface of a sphere. This equivalence is used to show that in the optimal compacted structure, with no internal cells, the cross-sections of cells in general are not regular polyhedra. Further, the internalization occurs when the number of cells exceeds a critical value which seems to depend on the relative sizes and biophysical properties of cells.

Cytotoxicity of commonly used nitroxide radical spin probes

Since nitroxide radical spin probes are used frequently to test biophysical properties of cells, their use should be restricted to conditions that do not perturb normal cell growth and viability. Eight commonly used nitroxide radical spin probes have been tested for their effects on the survival of CHO cells. These include water-soluble spin probes Tempol, Tempamine, CTPO, CTPC and 4-maleimido-Tempo, and lipid soluble spin probes 5-Doxyl-, 12-Doxyl-, and 16-Doxylstearates. With the exception of 4-maleimido-Tempo, none of the water soluble spin labels inhibited cell survival at concentrations as high as 1 mM. At concentrations of 75 μM and higher, 4-maleimido-Tempo inhibited cell survival in a dose dependent manner. At concentrations commonly used for spin labeling of cells (30–50 μM) none of the lipid soluble spin probes tested was cytotoxic. At 100 μM only 5-Doxylstearate inhibited cell survival, whereas 12-Doxylstearate and 16-Doxylstearate had no effect.