Functional and biomimetic materials for engineering of the three-dimensional cell microenvironment

G Huang, F Li, X Zhao, Y Ma, Y Li, M Lin, G Jin… - Chemical …, 2017 - ACS Publications
The cell microenvironment has emerged as a key determinant of cell behavior and function
in development, physiology, and pathophysiology. The extracellular matrix (ECM) within the …

Physics of adherent cells

US Schwarz, SA Safran - Reviews of Modern Physics, 2013 - APS
One of the most unique physical features of cell adhesion to external surfaces is the active
generation of mechanical force at the cell-material interface. This includes pulling forces …

Contractility of single cardiomyocytes differentiated from pluripotent stem cells depends on physiological shape and substrate stiffness

AJS Ribeiro, YS Ang, JD Fu, RN Rivas… - Proceedings of the …, 2015 - National Acad Sciences
Single cardiomyocytes contain myofibrils that harbor the sarcomere-based contractile
machinery of the myocardium. Cardiomyocytes differentiated from human pluripotent stem …

Long-range self-organization of cytoskeletal myosin II filament stacks

S Hu, K Dasbiswas, Z Guo, YH Tee, V Thiagarajan… - Nature cell …, 2017 - nature.com
Although myosin II filaments are known to exist in non-muscle cells,, their dynamics and
organization are incompletely understood. Here, we combined structured illumination …

Heart-specific stiffening in early embryos parallels matrix and myosin expression to optimize beating

S Majkut, T Idema, J Swift, C Krieger, A Liu, DE Discher - Current biology, 2013 - cell.com
In development and differentiation, morphological changes often accompany mechanical
changes [1], but it is unclear whether or when cells in embryos sense tissue elasticity. The …

Living matter: mesoscopic active materials

A Bernheim‐Groswasser, NS Gov… - Advanced …, 2018 - Wiley Online Library
An introduction to the physical properties of living active matter at the mesoscopic scale
(tens of nanometers to micrometers) and their unique features compared with “dead,” …

Striated myocyte structural integrity: Automated analysis of sarcomeric z-discs

TA Morris, J Naik, KS Fibben, X Kong… - PLoS computational …, 2020 - journals.plos.org
As sarcomeres produce the force necessary for contraction, assessment of sarcomere order
is paramount in evaluation of cardiac and skeletal myocytes. The uniaxial force produced by …

Matrix mechanosensing: from scaling concepts in'omics data to mechanisms in the nucleus, regeneration, and cancer

DE Discher, L Smith, S Cho… - Annual review of …, 2017 - annualreviews.org
Many of the most important molecules of life are polymers. In animals, the most abundant of
the proteinaceous polymers are the collagens, which constitute the fibrous matrix outside …

Delineating the heterogeneity of matrix-directed differentiation toward soft and stiff tissue lineages via single-cell profiling

S Brielle, D Bavli, A Motzik, Y Kan-Tor… - Proceedings of the …, 2021 - National Acad Sciences
Mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) form a heterogeneous population of multipotent
progenitors that contribute to tissue regeneration and homeostasis. MSCs assess …

Matrix mechanics and regulation of the fibroblast phenotype

B Hinz - Periodontology 2000, 2013 - Wiley Online Library
The oral cavity hosts a variety of different fibroblast populations that are generally
responsible for maintaining homeostasis of the soft connective tissue. In addition to …