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Full-Text Articles in Mechanical Engineering
Effect Of The Physical Micro-Environment On Cell Adhesion And Force Exertion, Mohamad Eftekharjoo
Effect Of The Physical Micro-Environment On Cell Adhesion And Force Exertion, Mohamad Eftekharjoo
Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations
Physical characteristics of the microenvironment, such as geometry and stiffness, influence cell adhesion and contractile forces. Here, we determined how these physical factors influenced cell force exertion and adhesion in two specific contexts that have broad relevance.
Fibroblasts are cells in connective tissues that interact with a fibrous extracellular matrix (ECM) that have a predominantly one-dimensional (1D) (fibrillar) geometry. However, it has been unclear as to how the 1D nature of the fibrillar ECM influences the forces exerted by fibroblasts. Here, we used fibroblast cells adherent on fibronectin lines on polyacrylamide (PAA) gels of stiffness 13 and 45 kPa to …
Endogenous Force Transmission Between Epithelial Cells And A Role For Α-Catenin, Sandeep Dumbali
Endogenous Force Transmission Between Epithelial Cells And A Role For Α-Catenin, Sandeep Dumbali
Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations
In epithelial tissues, epithelial cells adhere to each other as well as to the underlying extra-cellular matrix (ECM). E-cadherin-based intercellular junctions play an important role in tissue integrity. These junctions experience cell-generated mechanical forces via apparent adaptor proteins such as beta (β) catenin, alpha (α) catenin and vinculin. Abnormalities in these junctions may result in skin related diseases and cancers. Here, I devised methods to determine the endogenous intercellular force within cell pairs as well as in large epithelial islands. I further ascertained the factors that affect the level of inter-cellular tension.
Experiments with pairs of epithelial cells exogenously expressing …