Measuring cell-generated forces: a guide to the available tools

WJ Polacheck, CS Chen - Nature methods, 2016 - nature.com
Forces generated by cells are critical regulators of cell adhesion, signaling, and function,
and they are also essential drivers in the morphogenetic events of development. Over the …

Physical influences of the extracellular environment on cell migration

G Charras, E Sahai - Nature reviews Molecular cell biology, 2014 - nature.com
The way in which a cell migrates is influenced by the physical properties of its surroundings,
in particular the properties of the extracellular matrix. How the physical aspects of the cell's …

Transcription upregulation via force-induced direct stretching of chromatin

A Tajik, Y Zhang, F Wei, J Sun, Q Jia, W Zhou… - Nature materials, 2016 - nature.com
Mechanical forces play critical roles in the function of living cells. However, the underlying
mechanisms of how forces influence nuclear events remain elusive. Here, we show that …

Role of the extracellular matrix in regulating stem cell fate

FM Watt, WTS Huck - Nature reviews Molecular cell biology, 2013 - nature.com
The field of stem cells and regenerative medicine offers considerable promise as a means of
delivering new treatments for a wide range of diseases. In order to maximize the …

AMPK is a mechano-metabolic sensor linking cell adhesion and mitochondrial dynamics to Myosin-dependent cell migration

E Crosas-Molist, V Graziani, O Maiques… - Nature …, 2023 - nature.com
Cell migration is crucial for cancer dissemination. We find that AMP-activated protein kinase
(AMPK) controls cell migration by acting as an adhesion sensing molecular hub. In 3 …

Three-dimensional force microscopy of cells in biopolymer networks

J Steinwachs, C Metzner, K Skodzek, N Lang… - Nature …, 2016 - nature.com
We describe a technique for the quantitative measurement of cell-generated forces in highly
nonlinear three-dimensional biopolymer networks that mimic the physiological situation of …

Cell mechanics: principles, practices, and prospects

E Moeendarbary, AR Harris - Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews …, 2014 - Wiley Online Library
Cells generate and sustain mechanical forces within their environment as part of their
normal physiology. They are active materials that can detect mechanical stimulation by 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 …

Traction force microscopy in physics and biology

RW Style, R Boltyanskiy, GK German, C Hyland… - Soft matter, 2014 - pubs.rsc.org
Adherent cells, crawling slugs, peeling paint, sessile liquid drops, bearings and many other
living and non-living systems apply forces to solid substrates. Traction force microscopy …

[HTML][HTML] Traction force microscopy–Measuring the forces exerted by cells

M Lekka, K Gnanachandran, A Kubiak, T Zieliński… - Micron, 2021 - Elsevier
Cells generate mechanical forces (traction forces, TFs) while interacting with the
extracellular matrix or neighbouring cells. Forces are generated by both cells and …