细胞的几何形状受到细胞骨架的强烈影响,which,反过来,受整合素介导的细胞-细胞外基质(ECM)相互作用调节。为了研究整合素在细胞和ECM之间的几何相互作用中的机械作用,我们提出了一种结合分子张力荧光显微镜(MTFM)的单细胞微图案化技术,这使我们能够用规定的几何形状表征细胞的机械性能。我们的结果表明,曲率是细胞以膜张力和肌动球蛋白依赖性方式分化形状的关键几何线索。具体来说,曲率影响粘着斑(FA)的大小,并诱导强整合素的曲率依赖性密度和空间分布。此外,我们发现整合素亚基β1在几何信息的检测中起着至关重要的作用。总的来说,MTFM和单细胞微图案化的整合为研究机械线索和细胞反应之间的联系提供了一种强大的方法,具有促进我们对机械生物学的理解的潜力。
The geometric shape of a cell is strongly influenced by the cytoskeleton, which, in turn, is regulated by integrin-mediated cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions. To investigate the mechanical role of integrin in the geometrical interplay between cells and the ECM, we proposed a single-cell micropatterning technique combined with molecular tension fluorescence microscopy (MTFM), which allows us to characterize the mechanical properties of cells with prescribed geometries. Our results show that the curvature is a key geometric cue for cells to differentiate shapes in a membrane-tension- and actomyosin-dependent manner. Specifically, curvatures affect the size of focal adhesions (FAs) and induce a curvature-dependent density and spatial distribution of strong integrins. In addition, we found that the integrin subunit β1 plays a critical role in the detection of geometric information. Overall, the integration of MTFM and single-cell micropatterning offers a robust approach for investigating the nexus between mechanical cues and cellular responses, holding potential for advancing our understanding of mechanobiology.