Dresden 2020 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 10: Poster III

BP 10.7: Poster

Monday, March 16, 2020, 17:30–19:30, P2/3OG

Neutrophil mechanotransduction during durotaxis — •Fatemeh Abbasi, Matthias Brandt, and Timo Betz — Institute of Cell Biology, ZMBE Institute, Münster, Germany

Cell migration based on the environment stiffness gradient towards the stiffer substrate is called durotaxis. Durotaxis might be important for immune cells, since they migrate from bone marrow to the cite of infection. We hypothesized that durotaxis might be a leading factor of immune cells migration from the blood circulation to the infected tissue, since inflammation leads to swelling and stiffness increase. To investigate this hypothesis, we developed a biomimetic system to reconstitute both, the mechanical and the chemical environment of neutrophils. Cells are confined between two elastic polyacrylamide (PAA) hydrogels with controlled elastic moduli and functionalized surface chemistry. By controlling the distance between the PAA hydrogel surfaces, we vary the compression forces exerted by the substrates on the cells. We engineered a sandwich-like configuration of two elastic PAA layer with stiffness between 1 and 10 kPa and confined neutrophils in between these layers, giving them the chance of attaching to both layers simultaneously. Consistent with durotaxis, we find a striking tendency of neutrophils to detach from soft and attach to stiffer layers. We are able to track cell behavior and the cytoskeletal reorganization during the shifting from soft to stiff substrates while measuring the forces.