Regensburg 2010 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 32: Posters: Physics of Cells

BP 32.16: Poster

Thursday, March 25, 2010, 17:15–20:00, Poster B1

Strain Dependent Cell Response to Optical Forces — •Tina Händler, Roland Stange, Anatol Fritsch, and Josef Käs — University of Leipzig, Germany

The optical stretcher is a device to investigate global mechanical behavior of single cells in suspension. Cells are trapped between two counter-propagating laser beams. By increasing the laser power and hence the momentum transferred to the cell surface, the cells are measurably deformed. Since the cytoskeleton, a dynamic polymer network inside the cell, is responsible for cellular mechanical properties, changes in the cytoskeletal proteins are reflected in the cell's response to the stress applied.

For small deformations and low stresses, most of the cells deform viscoelastically. At higher stresses, some cells seem to respond actively to the applied forces and show contractive behavior. This temporary decrease in relative deformation can be observed by using a linearly increasing laser power. Modifying motor proteins and microtubules with chemical agents allows a differentiated investigation of the observed phenomena. The aim of the presented work is to explore the role of cytoskeletal components in possibly stress-induced active behavior.