Cellular Mechanics and Interactions

Magnetoactive hydrogels to probe curvature-directed endothelial cell mechanosensing

This study uses a magnetoactive hydrogel to investigate how curvature affects endothelial cell mechanosensing, finding that curvature influences YAP localization and junctional dynamics independently of shear stress.

A Computational Model of Mechanical Stretching of Cultured Cells on a Flexible Membrane

This paper develops a computational model to simulate mechanical stretching of cultured cells on a flexible membrane and connects it to chromatin deformation.

Robust pan-junctional reinforcement preserves the gut epithelial barrier under mechanical stress

This study identifies a mechano-adaptive response in the colonic epithelium to mechanical stress, showing that myosin II and calcium influx coordinate junctional reinforcement to preserve barrier integrity.

A nematic framework for sprouting angiogenesis

This study uses a nematic framework to show that endothelial cell orientation gradients drive angiogenic sprouting, with implications for therapeutic strategies.

Collective multicellular patterns arising from cadherin-linked cytoskeletal domains

This study introduces a biophysical model that couples adhesion complex dynamics to intracellular mechanics, revealing multicellular patterns like polarization and stress chains.

Tumor-Associated EDA-FN-Enriched Matrix Instructs Macrophage Behavior

This study develops a fibroblast-derived matrix platform to investigate how tumor-associated EDA-FN-enriched matrices influence macrophage behavior in the tumor microenvironment.

Phenotypes and Cellular Mechanics of Primary Human Aorta- and Pluripotent Stem Cell-derived Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

This study compares the phenotypic and mechanical properties of human pluripotent stem cell-derived vascular smooth muscle cells (hPSC-vSMC) with aorta-derived vascular smooth muscle cells (AoSMC).

Self organisation of invasive breast cancer driven by the interplay of active and passive nematic dynamics

The paper shows invasive breast cancer clusters self-organize through active nematic dynamics interacting with passive ECM nematic structures, with higher activity linked to worse patient outcomes.

Mechanical stretch disrupts intracellular structures under impaired actin integrity in vascular smooth muscle cells

This study investigates how mechanical stretch affects actin-bundle organization in vascular smooth muscle cells with impaired actin polymerization, revealing destabilizing effects on bundle connectivity.

A self-limiting mechanotransduction feedback loop ensures robust organ formation

The paper shows Yap mechanotransduction creates a self-limiting feedback loop for zebrafish semicircular canal formation, integrating mechanical forces and transcriptional responses to ensure robust development.

Non-muscle actinopathy-associated loss-of-function actin variants modulate cytoskeletal reorganization

This study examines how specific ACTB gene variants affect cytoskeletal reorganization in fibroblasts, finding that G302A reduces cell stiffness and alters cofilin and myosin light chain phosphorylation.

Cell jamming transition is regulated by mitochondrial pyruvate transport and endocytosis

The paper shows that mitochondrial pyruvate transport and endocytosis regulate the cell jamming transition in epithelial tissues.

Synthetic Fibrous Hydrogels as Minimal Systems to Modulate Cell Migration Modes in 3D

This paper introduces tunable fibrous hydrogels to study how specific ligands direct different cell migration modes in 3D environments.

Actin conformation dynamics precede force generation in cytotoxic T lymphocytes

This study visualizes actin conformation dynamics in CTLs and shows they precede force generation during immune synapse formation.

Matrix Stiffness Regulates Mechanotransduction and Vascular Network Formation of hiPSC-Derived Endothelial Progenitors Encapsulated in 3D Hydrogels

This study shows that vascular network formation by hiPSC-derived endothelial progenitors in 3D hydrogels depends on matrix stiffness, contractility, and cell-induced remodeling, not just mechanotransduction.

Impacts of Morphology and Elasticity on Cancer Cell Deformation in Shear-flows

This paper examines how cancer cell morphology and elasticity affect deformation under shear-flow, showing morphology sets stiffness-modulated deformation patterns that influence extracellular flow dynamics and traction.

Bidirectional redistribution of actomyosin drives epithelial invagination in ascidian siphon tube morphogenesis

The paper shows bidirectional actomyosin redistribution drives epithelial invagination in ascidian siphon tube morphogenesis through apical and lateral constriction.

A principal-stress rule for cell division in epithelia

The paper shows that cell division in epithelia follows a mechanical principal-stress rule rather than a geometric rule, as cells divide along their principal stress axis to relieve anisotropic stress.

Balanced contractility and adhesion drive polarization in a minimal elastic actomyosin network

This paper shows that a minimal mechanical model of an actomyosin network can spontaneously polarize and move through balanced contractility and adhesion, without external cues or complex signaling.

Interactions between single actin and vimentin filaments

This study demonstrates direct mechanical interactions between single actin and vimentin filaments, independent of crosslinking proteins, and quantifies the interaction forces.

EPS8 dampens the growth dynamics and prolongs the lifetime of actin-based protrusions

This study investigates EPS8's role in actin-based protrusions, finding it dampens growth and prolongs lifetime by acting as a leaky capper at filament barbed ends.

Emergence of curvature-dependent tissue growth from cell crowding and mechanical interactions

This study develops a mathematical model to show how curvature-dependent tissue growth arises from cell crowding and mechanical interactions, predicting pore closure scaling with size and shape.

Substrate heterogeneity promotes cancer cell dissemination through interface roughening

This study shows that substrate disorder promotes single-cell cancer invasion, comparable to cadherin loss, by altering invasion dynamics through spatial heterogeneity.

A phase field model with stochastic input simulates cellular gradient sensing, morphodynamics, and fidelity of haptotaxis

The paper develops a phase field model to simulate haptotaxis, showing how directional persistence compensates for reduced gradient bias and maintains response robustness in multi-cue environments.

BetaII-Spectrin Gaps and Patches Emerge from the Patterned Assembly of the Actin/Spectrin Membrane Skeleton in Human Motor Neuron Axons

The paper uses imaging to study the spatial distribution of betaII-spectrin in human motor neuron axons, revealing a gap-and-patch pattern in the actin/spectrin membrane skeleton.

Myosin II independent contraction of actin filaments in membrane nanotubes

The paper investigates actin filament contraction in membrane nanotubes, finding that cyclic load-fail behavior occurs independently of myosin II and is explained by ADF/cofilin-induced stress.

Flow-driven lumen remodeling and valve opening in the vas deferens

The paper investigates how mechanical signaling coordinates luminal flow and structural changes in the mouse vas deferens during ejaculation-like events.

Actin and myosin dynamics during epithelial remodeling in avian gastrulation

This study investigates actin and myosin dynamics during epithelial remodeling in avian gastrulation, showing that junctional myosin contraction drives cell rearrangements and primitive streak formation.

Adaptive motility enables neutrophils to rapidly navigate confined capillaries

This study shows neutrophils maintain high migration speed in capillaries of varying sizes by adapting their actomyosin cytoskeleton via the ROCK-MyoII pathway, preventing vascular obstruction.

Morphological parameters can capture emergent properties of dynamic disordered cytoskeletal networks

The paper uses morphological descriptors to classify dynamic disordered cytoskeletal networks and finds that no single descriptor can fully capture differences in simulated trajectories.