Regensburg 2016 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 49: Posters - Cell Mechanics and Migration & Physics of Cancer

BP 49.2: Poster

Mittwoch, 9. März 2016, 17:00–19:00, Poster C

Force Generation of Blood Platelets — •Jana Hanke and Sarah Köster — Universität Göttingen, Göttingen, Deutschland

Blood platelets play a crucial role in wound closure by attaching to the wounded site and spreading over it to form a temporary seal. During this process, the platelets contract after attachment to the extracellular matrix. Given the heterogeneity of tissues in the body, platelets encounter areas of varying stiffness to which they must adapt. To examine the influence of these environments on the force generated by the platelets, we perform live cell experiments on soft and stiff substrates. We use time-resolved Traction Force Microscopy (TFM) by seeding the cells on polyacrylamide gels of varying physiological stiffness containing fluorescent beads. Given the small size of blood platelets compared to other cells previously studied by TFM, it is important to adjust the experimental set-up as well as the analysis procedures. Here, the evaluation process is performed by a combination of Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV), Lagrangian marker tracking and Fourier Transform Traction Cytometry (FTTC). So far, the manner of contraction leads us to observe three contraction behaviours: One group of platelets show one single contraction towards a maximum force plateau, another group contracts before relaxing again whereas the last group shows oscillations of contraction. A relaxation is mostly observed in gels of lower stiffness while platelets on stiffer gels tend towards a force plateau. Platelets exerting oscillatory forces could so far be observed on various gel stiffness.