The structure and mechanics of the cell cortex depend on the location and adhesion state

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• dc.contributor.author Flormann, Daniel
• dc.contributor.author Kainka, Lucina
• dc.contributor.author Montalvo, Gala
• dc.contributor.author Rheinlaender, Johannes
• dc.contributor.author Thalla, D.
• dc.contributor.author Vesperini, Doriane
• dc.contributor.author Pohland, M. O.
• dc.contributor.author Kaub, K. H.
• dc.contributor.author Schu, M.
• dc.contributor.author Pezzano, Fabio
• dc.contributor.author Ruprecht, Verena
• dc.contributor.author Terriac, Emmanuel
• dc.contributor.author Hawkins, Rhoda
• dc.contributor.author Lautenschläger, Franziska
• dc.date.accessioned 2024-09-20T06:06:39Z
• dc.date.embargoEnd info:eu-repo/date/embargoEnd/2025-01-23
• dc.date.issued 2024
• dc.description.abstract Cells exist in different phenotypes and can transition between them. A phenotype may be characterized by many different aspects. Here, we focus on the example of whether the cell is adhered or suspended and choose particular parameters related to the structure and mechanics of the actin cortex. The cortex is essential to cell mechanics, morphology, and function, such as for adhesion, migration, and division of animal cells. To predict and control cellular functions and prevent malfunctioning, it is necessary to understand the actin cortex. The structure of the cortex governs cell mechanics; however, the relationship between the architecture and mechanics of the cortex is not yet well enough understood to be able to predict one from the other. Therefore, we quantitatively measured structural and mechanical cortex parameters, including cortical thickness, cortex mesh size, actin bundling, and cortex stiffness. These measurements required developing a combination of measurement techniques in scanning electron, expansion, confocal, and atomic force microscopy. We found that the structure and mechanics of the cortex of cells in interphase are different depending on whether the cell is suspended or adhered. We deduced general correlations between structural and mechanical properties and show how these findings can be explained within the framework of semiflexible polymer network theory. We tested the model predictions by perturbing the properties of the actin within the cortex using compounds. Our work provides an important step toward predictions of cell mechanics from cortical structures and suggests how cortex remodeling between different phenotypes impacts the mechanical properties of cells.
• dc.description.sponsorship We thank the CRC 1027 (DFG) and Leibniz Institute for New Materials for funding. V.R. acknowledges financial support from the Ministerio de Ciencia y Innovacion through the Plan Nacional (PID2020-117011GB-I00), funding from the European Union’s Horizon European Innovation Council and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises Executive Agency (EIC-ESMEA)Pathfinder program under grant agreement No 101046620, and support from the CRG Protein Technologies and Tissue Engineering Unit. We are thankful to Yannic Veit for his assistance in the expansion microscopy.
• dc.embargo.liftdate 2025-01-23
• dc.format.mimetype application/pdf
• dc.identifier.citation Flormann DAD, Kainka L, Montalvo G, Anton C, Rheinlaender J, Thalla D, et al. The structure and mechanics of the cell cortex depend on the location and adhesion state. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024 Jul 30;121(31):e2320372121. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2320372121
• dc.identifier.doi http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2320372121
• dc.identifier.issn 0027-8424
• dc.identifier.uri http://hdl.handle.net/10230/61186
• dc.language.iso eng
• dc.publisher National Academy of Sciences
• dc.relation.ispartof Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2024 Jul 30;121(31):e2320372121
• dc.relation.projectID info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/HE/101046620
• dc.relation.projectID info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/2PE/PID2020-117011GB-I00
• dc.rights Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by PNAS. This article is distributed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License 4.0 (CC BY-NC-ND). https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• dc.rights.accessRights info:eu-repo/semantics/embargoedAccess
• dc.rights.uri http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
• dc.subject.keyword Actin
• dc.subject.keyword Cells
• dc.subject.keyword Cortex
• dc.subject.keyword Cytoskeleton
• dc.subject.keyword Suspended
• dc.title The structure and mechanics of the cell cortex depend on the location and adhesion state
• dc.type info:eu-repo/semantics/article
• dc.type.version info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion