Regensburg 2013 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 24: Posters: Physics of Cells

BP 24.11: Poster

Mittwoch, 13. März 2013, 17:30–19:30, Poster C

Vimentin structure in human mesenchymal stem cells depends on substrate elasticity — •Jennifer Radwitz — Georg-August-Universität, Göttingen, Germany

Human mesenchymal stem cells are multipotent adult stem cells that can differentiate into several cell types, e.g. bone, muscle, cartilage. The differentiation process is usually driven biochemically by growth factors but can also be induced mechanically by changing the elasticity of the microenvironment. Structural integrity and mechano-sensing of cells is sustained mainly by the cytoskeleton, which consists of acto-myosin structures, intermediate filaments (IFs) and microtubules. Contributions by microfilaments and microtubules are extensively studied but the class of IFs, in mesenchymal cells represented mainly by vimentin, is lesser explored.

By varying the Young's modulus E of the substrates we mimic different mechanical environments. Cells are transfected to express eGFP-vimentin which can be observed in a fluorescence microscope. In long-term life cell measurements we record the vimentin structure and analyze its dynamics to elucidate its contribution to the mechanical coupling of cell and matrix.

We present data showing that vimentin structure depends on substrate elasticity and develops temporally different than actin fibers, as demonstrated with co-transfected cells. Correlating the structure and dynamics with matrix elasticity will help us to dissect the contribution of vimentin filaments to the complex cytoskeletal network.