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The tensegrity model hypothesizes that cytoskeleton-based microtubules (MTs) carry compression as they balance a portion of cell contractile stress. To test this hypothesis, we used traction force microscopy to measure traction at the interface of adhering human airway smooth muscle cells and a flexible polyacrylamide gel substrate. The prediction is that if MTs balance a portion of contractile stress, then, upon their disruption, the portion of stress balanced by MTs would shift to the substrate, thereby causing an increase in traction. Measurements were done first in maximally activated cells (10 μM histamine) and then again after MTs had been disrupted (1 μM colchicine). We found that after disruption of MTs, traction increased on average by ∼13%. Because in activated cells colchicine induced neither an increase in intracellular Ca²⁺ nor an increase in myosin light chain phosphorylation as shown previously, we …