Cell-ECM traction force modulates endogenous tension at cell-cell contacts
Cells in tissues are mechanically coupled both to the ECM and neighboring cells, but the coordination and interdependency of forces sustained at cell-ECM and cell-cell adhesions are unknown. In this paper, we demonstrate that the endogenous force sustained at the cell-cell contact between a pair of...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article (Journal) |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2011
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| In: |
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Year: 2011, Volume: 108, Issue: 12, Pages: 4708-4713 |
| ISSN: | 1091-6490 |
| DOI: | 10.1073/pnas.1011123108 |
| Online Access: | Verlag, kostenfrei, Volltext: http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1011123108 Verlag, kostenfrei, Volltext: http://www.pnas.org/content/108/12/4708 
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| Author Notes: | Venkat Maruthamuthu, Benedikt Sabass, Ulrich S. Schwarz, and Margaret L. Gardel |
| Summary: | Cells in tissues are mechanically coupled both to the ECM and neighboring cells, but the coordination and interdependency of forces sustained at cell-ECM and cell-cell adhesions are unknown. In this paper, we demonstrate that the endogenous force sustained at the cell-cell contact between a pair of epithelial cells is approximately 100 nN, directed perpendicular to the cell-cell interface and concentrated at the contact edges. This force is stably maintained over time despite significant fluctuations in cell-cell contact length and cell morphology. A direct relationship between the total cellular traction force on the ECM and the endogenous cell-cell force exists, indicating that the cell-cell tension is a constant fraction of the cell-ECM traction. Thus, modulation of ECM properties that impact cell-ECM traction alters cell-cell tension. Finally, we show in a minimal model of a tissue that all cells experience similar forces from the surrounding microenvironment, despite differences in the extent of cell-ECM and cell-cell adhesion. This interdependence of cell-cell and cell-ECM forces has significant implications for the maintenance of the mechanical integrity of tissues, mechanotransduction, and tumor mechanobiology. |
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| Item Description: | Gesehen am 08.12.2017 |
| Physical Description: | Online Resource |
| ISSN: | 1091-6490 |
| DOI: | 10.1073/pnas.1011123108 |