Mechanical Behavior in Living Cells Consistent with the Tensegrity Model

Alternative models of cell mechanics depict the living cell as a simple mechanical continuum, porous filament gel, tensed cortical membrane, or tensegrity network that maintains a stabilizing prestress through incorporation of discrete structural elements that bear compression. Real-time microscopic...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2001-07, Vol.98 (14), p.7765-7770
Main Authors: Wang, Ning, Naruse, Keiji, Stamenović, Dimitrije, Fredberg, Jeffrey J., Mijailovich, Srboljub M., Tolić-Nørrelykke, Iva Marija, Polte, Thomas, Mannix, Robert, Ingber, Donald E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Biological Sciences
Biomechanical Phenomena
Cell Physiological Phenomena
Cell physiology
Cells
Cytoskeleton - physiology
Cytoskeleton - ultrastructure
Fracture mechanics
Gels
Green Fluorescent Proteins
Histamines
Humans
Life Sciences (General)
Luminescent Proteins
Microtubules
Mitochondria
Modeling
Models, Biological
Molecular Motor Proteins - physiology
Physics
Shear modulus
Tensegrity
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Summary:Alternative models of cell mechanics depict the living cell as a simple mechanical continuum, porous filament gel, tensed cortical membrane, or tensegrity network that maintains a stabilizing prestress through incorporation of discrete structural elements that bear compression. Real-time microscopic analysis of cells containing GFP-labeled microtubules and associated mitochondria revealed that living cells behave like discrete structures composed of an interconnected network of actin microfilaments and microtubules when mechanical stresses are applied to cell surface integrin receptors. Quantitation of cell tractional forces and cellular prestress by using traction force microscopy confirmed that microtubules bear compression and are responsible for a significant portion of the cytoskeletal prestress that determines cell shape stability under conditions in which myosin light chain phosphorylation and intracellular calcium remained unchanged. Quantitative measurements of both static and dynamic mechanical behaviors in cells also were consistent with specific a priori predictions of the tensegrity model. These findings suggest that tensegrity represents a unified model of cell mechanics that may help to explain how mechanical behaviors emerge through collective interactions among different cytoskeletal filaments and extracellular adhesions in living cells.
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.141199598