Biology subjects

Rheinlaender, J.

Publications and source records attributed to Rheinlaender, J..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

Mechanical Implications of Cellular Viscoelasticity, Cortex Polarity, Superelasticity, and Cell-Cell Junctions in Curved Tissues

Investigations of the response of curved epithelia derived from MDCK-II cells to external deformation involved indentation-relaxation experiments using colloidal probe microscopy. Notably, hemicysts exhibited lower tissue tension, greater compliance, and increased fluidity compared to cysts. The primary response to deformation turned out to be the in-plane expansion of the basal cortex/membrane of cells. Additionally, drug treatments applied to curved tissue, along with deformation of tailored mutants (such as E-cadherin knockout), revealed that tissue compliance over short time scales is influenced by an interplay of viscoelastic properties in individual cells, their apical-basal polarity, superelasticity of the shell, and excess interfacial area. Meanwhile, tissue resilience predominantly depends on the integrity of cell-cell contacts.

biophysics↗

bioRxiv2019

Cortical cell stiffness is independent of substrate mechanics

Cortical stiffness is an important cellular property that changes during migration, adhesion, and growth. Previous atomic force microscopy (AFM) indentation measurements of cells cultured on deformable substrates suggested that cells adapt their stiffness to that of their surroundings. Here we show that the force applied by AFM onto cells results in a significant deformation of the underlying substrate if it is softer than the cells. This soft substrate effect leads to an underestimation of a cells elastic modulus when analyzing data using a standard Hertz model, as confirmed by finite element modelling (FEM) and AFM measurements of calibrated polyacrylamide beads, microglial cells, and fibroblasts. To account for this substrate deformation, we developed the composite cell-substrate model (CoCS model). Correcting for the substrate indentation revealed that cortical cell stiffness is largely independent of substrate mechanics, which has significant implications for our interpretation of many physiological and pathological processes.

biophysics↗