A Theoretical Description of Elastic Pillar Substrates in Biophysical Experiments

Arrays of elastic pillars are used in biophysical experiments as sensors for traction forces. The evaluation of the forces can be complicated if they are coupled to the pillar displacements over large distances. This is the case if many of the pillars are interconnected by elastic linkages as, for e...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Chemphyschem 2005-08, Vol.6 (8), p.1492-1498
Main Authors: Mohrdieck, Camilla, Wanner, Alexander, Roos, Wouter, Roth, Alexander, Sackmann, Erich, Spatz, Joachim P., Arzt, Eduard
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Actin Cytoskeleton - chemistry
Algorithms
Biological and medical sciences
Biophysical Phenomena
Biophysics
fiber networks
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Models, Theoretical
Molecular biophysics
Particle Size
self-assembly
sensors
Silicon - chemistry
Surface Properties
traction forces
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Summary:Arrays of elastic pillars are used in biophysical experiments as sensors for traction forces. The evaluation of the forces can be complicated if they are coupled to the pillar displacements over large distances. This is the case if many of the pillars are interconnected by elastic linkages as, for example, in fiber networks that are grown on top of pillars. To calculate the traction forces in such a network, we developed a set of nonlinear inhomogeneous equations relating the forces in the linking elements to the resulting pillar deflections. We chose a homogeneous, activated two‐dimensional network of cytoskeletal actin filaments to illustrate that a pillar substrate is generally not a force sensor but a force‐gradient sensor. In homogeneous networks the forces acting along the filaments can be approximated by analyzing only pillar deflections in the edge zones of the substrate and by integration over the corresponding force gradients. Pillars of strength? Elastic pillar substrates are widely used to sense traction forces of cells (see graphic) and biopolymeric networks suspended on them. The authors develop an analytical description to evaluate these forces which provides a guideline for the construction as well as for the quantitative evaluation of experiments involving pillar substrates as micromechanical sensors.
ISSN:1439-4235
1439-7641
DOI:10.1002/cphc.200500109