Berlin 2012 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 6: Physics of Cells II

BP 6.5: Talk

Monday, March 26, 2012, 16:15–16:30, H 1028

Mechanical response of living cells to laser induced temperature shocks — •Anatol Fritsch, Tobias Kießling, Roland Stange, and Josef Käs — Universität Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany

Living cells obtain mechanical stability from the cytoskeleton, a complex network of filamentous proteins, linkers and molecular motors. Alterations in cell mechanics to environmental stimuli, e.g. drug treatment, substrate stiffness, etc has been frequently investigated.

We developed a modified microfluidic Optical Stretcher setup able to adjust temperature during creep experiments on a millisecond timescale while automatically measuring thousands of cells. The features and reliability of this new tool are presented. A strong impact of temperature on single cell mechanics is revealed. Rarely investigated before, modulation of cell mechanics in response to temperature changes unexpectedly connects single cell mechanics to the rheology of polymer solutions.