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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 7: Posters: Cell adhesion, mechanics and migration

BP 7.38: Poster

Montag, 31. März 2014, 17:30–19:30, P3

Controlling adhesion of Acanthamoeba castellanii by substrate stiffness — •Sören Björn Gutekunst and Christine Selhuber-Unkel — Institute for Materials Science, Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Germany

Acanthamoebae are found worldwide and are most commonly present in water reservoirs such as lakes and swimming pools, but even in soil and dust. Some acanthamoeba species are human pathogenic and can cause severe infections, such as acanthamoeba keratitis, which is caused by Acanthamoeba castellanii. Acanthamoeba keratitis is an infection of the human eye that is mainly caused by insufficient contact lens care. If Acanthamoeba castellanii trophozoites adhere to a soft contact lens material, they are easily transferred to the eye. In order to investigate the influence of substrate stiffness on the adhesion of Acanthamoeba castellanii, we produced polyacrylamide substrates of different elasticity and quantified the motility, number and spreading area of adherent amoeba as a function of substrate stiffness. Our data indicate that Acanthamoeba castellanii adhesion is promoted on soft substrates, suggesting the presence of a mechanosensing mechanism.