Cellular Mechanics and Interactions

Phase-field Approach to Cellular Blebbing

The paper introduces a dual phase-field model to simulate cellular blebbing and shows it agrees with experimental data on laser-induced cortex rupture.

High-throughput Genome Wide CRISPR Knock Out mechanical sort identifies genes driving metastatic cancer cell softening

This study uses CRISPR knockout and mechanical sorting to identify genes affecting cell stiffness in ovarian cancer, finding three genes linked to increased stiffness and patient survival.

Kinetic Control of Out-Of-Equilibrium Dynamics in the RhoA Signaling Cascade Shapes Actomyosin Contractility

The paper investigates the kinetic delays in the RhoA signaling cascade during actomyosin contractility in C. elegans embryos and shows they actively control force deployment.

Metabolic starvation-induced cell swelling drives solid stress in tumors

This study identifies metabolic starvation-induced cell swelling as the primary driver of solid stress in tumors, revealing a mechanical basis for genomic instability and treatment resistance.

Fluorescently Labeled Gradient Hydrogels Reveal Matrix-Dependent Cell Responses to Substrate Stiffness

This paper introduces a thermophoresis-based method to create stiffness gradient hydrogels and demonstrates their impact on cell morphology and migration.

Computational insights on the competition between electrotaxis and durotaxis

The paper investigates how electric and mechanical signals interact in cell migration, showing electric fields can override mechanical cues and proposes a platform to predict these interactions.

Cytoplasmic flow induced by a rotating wire in living cells: Magnetic rotational spectroscopy and finite element simulations

This study uses magnetic rotational spectroscopy and finite element simulations to measure and validate cytoplasmic viscoelasticity in living cells.

3D Cell-Matrix Mechanical Interaction Models for Cancer Invasion and Drug Evaluation

This paper introduces a 3D synthetic platform to study cancer cell invasion and drug response by modeling mechanical interactions with the extracellular matrix.

Cell-matrix mechanosensing and cellular metabolic demand are linked through SKT and mTORC2

This study identifies SKT as a link between cell-matrix mechanosensing and metabolic regulation through mTORC2, showing its role in PDAC progression.

Cell-intrinsic compliance mechanism enables release of tensile stress to prevent tissue rupture

The paper shows that the Drosophila amnioserosa uses mechanical compliance to release tensile stress and prevent tissue rupture during gastrulation.

Optimizing actin turnover in cell-like conditions

This study introduces in vitro assays to quantify actin-binding protein (ABP) activity in actin turnover and identifies conditions that maximize turnover efficiency.

Leupaxin inhibits the durotaxis and mechanosensitivity of metastatic breast cancer cells

This study shows that leupaxin inhibits durotaxis and mechanosensitivity in metastatic breast cancer cells by disrupting paxillin-FAK signaling.

Compressive mechanical stress activates ERK5 to regulate cortical tension and promote invasive cellular traits

The paper shows compressive mechanical stress activates ERK5, which reduces cortical tension and promotes cell invasion by inhibiting myosin through MYPT1.

Stiffness Drives Endothelial Senescence and Inflammation in Aging and Doxorubicin-Induced Vascular Dysfunction

This study shows that vascular stiffness promotes endothelial senescence and inflammation, identifying extracellular matrix as a therapeutic target for aging and chemotherapy-induced vascular dysfunction.

Micro-mechanical approaches to characterize tip growth: Insights into Root Hair Elasto-Viscoplastic Properties.

This paper introduces two mechanical setups to measure the elasto-viscoplastic properties of growing root hairs in Arabidopsis thaliana, confirming their axial stiffness and turgor pressure dependence.

Reconstructing Actin Dynamics of the Leading Edge from Observational Data

The paper reconstructs a mechanistic model of actin dynamics at the leading edge of mesenchymal cells using multiplex microscopy data and regression analysis.

Mechanically competitive regulation of cell volume in cytoplasm-sharing cells connected by intercellular bridges

The paper develops a theoretical model to explain how mechanical properties and cell cycle dynamics regulate volume distribution in germline cysts, leading to oocyte differentiation.

Modular Parallel Plate Flow Chamber with Tunable Substrate Mechanics and Defined Shear Stress

This paper introduces a modular flow chamber that independently controls substrate stiffness and fluid shear stress to study their combined effects on cell behavior.

Simulation-Based Inference of Cell Migration Dynamics in Complex Spatial Environments

The paper uses a Cellular Potts model and neural posterior estimation to infer cell migration dynamics in microfabricated environments, showing improved parameter inference over classical methods.

Planar polarization of endogenous ADIP during Xenopus neurulation

This study shows endogenous ADIP polarizes in response to mechanical forces during Xenopus neurulation, linking it to cytoskeletal networks and planar cell polarity.

Synaptopodin enables directional mechanoadaptation of integrin-based adhesions

The paper shows synaptopodin enables cells to adapt their adhesion structures to resist perpendicular forces by reorganizing the actin cytoskeleton and integrin-based adhesions.

Force-dependent stabilization of apical actomyosin by Lmo7 during vertebrate neurulation

This study shows Lmo7 stabilizes actomyosin at the apical cortex during neural tube closure through force-dependent binding to NMII, enhancing apical constriction.

Collective Transitions from Orbiting to Matrix Invasion in 3D Multicellular Spheroids

This study shows epithelial spheroids transition from orbiting to radial matrix invasion via interactions with matrix curvature, with implications for tissue morphogenesis and tumor progression.

Breakdown of Rheological Universality in the Vegetal Hemisphere of Ascidian Embryos Mapped by Atomic Force Microscopy

The paper uses AFM to show that vegetal hemisphere cells in ascidian embryos exhibit diverse rheological properties, unlike the uniform behavior of animal hemisphere cells.

Orthogonal Force Balance Between Contractility and Shear Stress Governs Podocyte Dynamics

The paper identifies a mechanical homeostasis mechanism in podocytes where balance between fluid shear stress and cellular contractility prevents injury, showing that reducing blood pressure can worsen outcomes when contractility is impaired.

Deciphering stiffness-driven changes in colorectal cancer by proteomics

This study shows that matrix stiffness in colorectal cancer alters secreted protein expression, enhancing migration, angiogenesis, and matrix remodeling, contributing to a more aggressive cancer phenotype.

A supracellular actin network transmits forces over long distances at the apical surface of squamous carcinoma cells

Intracellular crowding links dimensionality to cell fate through a mechano-metabolic signalling axis

This study shows that cell culture dimensionality affects intracellular crowding, which influences cell fate through a mechano-metabolic signaling pathway, improving chondrogenic differentiation in microtissue cultures.

Cell divisions both challenge and refine tissue boundaries in the Drosophila embryo

The paper shows that cell divisions in the Drosophila embryo challenge and refine tissue boundaries by reducing tension and increasing cell motility.

Mechanically-induced Septin Networks Protect Nuclear Integrity

This study shows that septins form mechanosensitive networks under the nucleus to protect it from mechanical stress.