Regensburg 2022 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 12: Poster 2

BP 12.8: Poster

Tuesday, September 6, 2022, 17:30–19:30, P4

Cell mechanics and cytoskeletal structures under unifor, equibiaxial strain — •Anna V. Schepers, Ruth Meyer, Peter Luley, and Sarah Köster — Universität Göttingen

The cytoskeleton, which largely determines the mechanical properties of cells, has to withstand various mechanical stresses throughout the lifetime of a cell. In mechanically stressed cells, structural and mechanical changes often go hand-in-hand. Understanding how cytoskeletal remodelling accompanies the mechanical changes will give insight into the mechanism by which cells adjust to mechanical load and how this reaction might be altered in diseases. Remodelling of the cytoskeleton has been observed under uniaxial and equibiaxial stretching. However, combined structural and force measurements under well-defined mechanical conditions are sparse. We therefore present a uniform, equibiaxial cell stretching device that is compatible with fluorescence microscopy as well as single cell force spectroscopy. The device allows for the study of living single cells or cell monolayers throughout equibiaxial stretching. Changes in the mechanical properties of cells can thus be linked to the remodelling of the cytoskeleton.