Dresden 2014 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 38: Active cell and tissue mechanics (focus session) II

BP 38.5: Talk

Thursday, April 3, 2014, 16:30–16:45, HÜL 386

Impact of heating on passive and active biomechanics of suspended cells — •Chii Jou Chan^{1, 2}, Graeme Whyte^{1, 3}, Lars Boyde¹, Guillaume Salbreux⁴, and Jochen Guck^{1, 2} — ¹Cavendish Laboratory, Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, UK — ²Biotechnology Center, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany — ³Department of Physics and Institute of Medical Biotechnology, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany — ⁴MPI PKS, Dresden, Germany

Heating can have a dramatic effect on cell mechanical properties, similar to its impact on the dynamics of artificial polymer networks. We investigated such mechanical changes by the use of an optical stretcher which allowed us to probe single-cell mechanics at different heating conditions and time-scales. We find that HL60/S4 myeloid precursor cells become mechanically more compliant and fluid-like when subjected to either a sudden temperature increase or a prolonged exposure to higher ambient temperature. Above a critical temperature of 52°C, we observed active cell contraction which was strongly correlated with calcium influx through temperature-sensitive TRPV2 ion channels. The change from passive to active cellular response can be effectively described by a mechanical model incorporating cell viscoelastic components and an additional time-dependent active component. Our work highlights the role of TRPV2 in regulating the thermo-mechanical response of cells, and offers insights on how cortical tension and osmotic pressure can actively regulate cell shape changes in response to heat and mechanical stress.