SKM 2023 – scientific programme
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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik
BP 28: Poster Session II
BP 28.33: Poster
Thursday, March 30, 2023, 18:00–20:00, P2/EG
Traction force microscopy quantifies the contractility of laminopathic cardiomyocytes — •Valentina Kuhn1,2, Christina Goss1,3, Aiste Liutkute2, Anna Zelena1, Ulrich S. Schwarz3, Niels Voigt2, and Sarah Köster1 — 1Institute for X-Ray Physics, University of Göttingen, Germany — 2Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Medical Center Göttingen, Germany — 3Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Heidelberg, Germany
Cardiomyocytes generate the contractile forces in the intact heart. In their nuclear lamina, cardiomyocytes express lamins A and C, a type of intermediate filament proteins that are encoded by the LMNA gene and are important for both genetic regulation and cytoskeletal organization. Patients with pathogenic LMNA mutations typically suffer from diseases characterized by altered cardiomyocyte contractile behavior, leading to high sudden cardiac death rates. So far, no detailed mechanistic explanation nor specific therapies are available. Cardiomyocytes derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC-CMs) are powerful in-vitro models to study the mechanisms underlying cardiomyopathies. We combine traction force microscopy with fluorescence imaging of the actin structures in a time-resolved manner on a single cell level. The experiment is conducted by seeding iPSC-CMs on elastic substrates featuring fibronectin micropatterns, which regularize their geometry for imaging while simulating physiological conditions. Thus, we can quantify the altered contractility of iPSC-CMs with the R331Q LMNA mutation in comparison with wild-type cells.