Impact of heating on passive and active biomechanics of suspended cells

Chan CJ, Whyte G, Boyde L, Salbreux G, Guck J (2014)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2014

Journal

Interface Focus The Royal Society

Book Volume: 4

Journal Issue: 2

DOI: 10.1098/rsfs.2013.0069

Abstract

A cell is a complex material whose mechanical properties are essential for its normal functions. Heating can have a dramatic effect on these mechanical properties, similar to its impact on the dynamics of artificial polymer networks. We investigated such mechanical changes by the use of a microfluidic optical stretcher, which allowed us to probe cell mechanics when the cells were subjected to different heating conditions at different time scales. We find that HL60/S4 myeloid precursor cells become mechanically more compliant and fluid-likewhen subjected to either a sudden laser-induced temperature increase or prolonged exposure to higher ambient temperature. Above a critical temperature of 52±1°C, we observed active cell contraction, which was strongly correlatedwith calciuminflux through temperature-sensitive transient receptor potential vanilloid 2 (TRPV2) ion channels, followed by a subsequent expansion in cell volume. The change from passive to active cellular response can be effectively described by a mechanical model incorporating both active stress and viscoelastic components. Our work highlights the role of TRPV2 in regulating the thermomechanical response of cells. It also offers insights into how cortical tension and osmotic pressure govern cell mechanics and regulate cell-shape changes in response to heat and mechanical stress. © 2014 The Author(s).

Authors with CRIS profile

Graeme Whyte Institut für Optik, Information und Photonik Jochen Guck

Involved external institutions

University of Cambridge GB United Kingdom (GB) Max-Planck-Institut für Physik komplexer Systeme (MPI PKS) / Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Chan, C.J., Whyte, G., Boyde, L., Salbreux, G., & Guck, J. (2014). Impact of heating on passive and active biomechanics of suspended cells. Interface Focus, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.1098/rsfs.2013.0069

MLA:

Chan, C. J., et al. "Impact of heating on passive and active biomechanics of suspended cells." Interface Focus 4.2 (2014).

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