Regensburg 2007 – scientific programme
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MM: Fachverband Metall- und Materialphysik
MM 35: SYBM Bioinspired Materials
MM 35.13: Talk
Thursday, March 29, 2007, 18:15–18:30, H16
Tension and geometry determine cell and tissue shape — Ilka Bischofs1, Dirk Lehnert2, Franziska Klein2, Martin Bastmeyer2, and •Ulrich Schwarz3 — 1University of California at Berkeley, Department of Bioengineering, 717 Potter Street, Berkeley CA 94720, USA — 2University of Karlsruhe, Institute of Zoology I, Haid-und-Neu-Strasse 9, D-76131 Karlsruhe, Germany — 3University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 293, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
Cells adapt their shape in response to the biochemical and physical properties of their environment. Cell shape in turn can determine cell growth and fate. In order to study cell shape as a function of spatially separated ligand patches, we have cultured cells on a square arrangement of fibronectin dots with a large variety of different dots sizes and lattice constants. We found that in any case, cell shape resembles a sequence of circular arcs composed of actin fibers connecting neighboring sites of adhesion. The same morphology has been observed before on the tissue level, namely for fibroblast-populated collagen gels pinned to a flat substrate. Quantitative image analysis revealed that in both cases, a characteristic relation exists between spanning distance and arc radius which can be explained by a mechanical model which includes the effect of both tension and elasticity. Our results suggest that the same universal principles determine the shape of cells and tissues.