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Molecular Advances in Cell Mechanics

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Biophysics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 October 2023) | Viewed by 4745

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will focus on molecular advances in nano-mechanical measurements of cells properties using techniques such as scanning force microscopy, laser pinzette, or optical tweezers. Topics of interest will include investigation of cancer cells, erythrocytes, or endothelial cells. Measuring the nanomechanical properties of cells presents a major challenge for researchers in this area. Open questions regarding the effective role of cytoskeleton or connected proteins such as E-cadherin are still not totally understood, and therefore, efforts are required from the scientific community to overcome experimental issues, which have hampered actual knowledge. In this issue, the principles and techniques used in studies of cell biomechanics will be one of main themes. The publication of original articles and reviews will contribute to the overview progress in the area of cytomechanics, paving the way toward a deeper understanding of the still hidden physiobiological mechanisms involved in the mechanical properties of cells.

Prof. Dr. Stefano Leporatti
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • cytomechanics
  • cell membrane
  • cancer cells
  • elasticity
  • stiffness
  • young modulus
  • cytoskeleton
  • endothelial cells
  • erythrocytes

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

15 pages, 5101 KiB  
Article
Characterization of Breast Cancer Aggressiveness by Cell Mechanics
by Barbara Zbiral, Andreas Weber, Maria dM. Vivanco and José L. Toca-Herrera
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(15), 12208; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241512208 - 30 Jul 2023
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2288
Abstract
In healthy tissues, cells are in mechanical homeostasis. During cancer progression, this equilibrium is disrupted. Cancer cells alter their mechanical phenotype to a softer and more fluid-like one than that of healthy cells. This is connected to cytoskeletal remodeling, changed adhesion properties, faster [...] Read more.
In healthy tissues, cells are in mechanical homeostasis. During cancer progression, this equilibrium is disrupted. Cancer cells alter their mechanical phenotype to a softer and more fluid-like one than that of healthy cells. This is connected to cytoskeletal remodeling, changed adhesion properties, faster cell proliferation and increased cell motility. In this work, we investigated the mechanical properties of breast cancer cells representative of different breast cancer subtypes, using MCF-7, tamoxifen-resistant MCF-7, MCF10A and MDA-MB-231 cells. We derived viscoelastic properties from atomic force microscopy force spectroscopy measurements and showed that the mechanical properties of the cells are associated with cancer cell malignancy. MCF10A are the stiffest and least fluid-like cells, while tamoxifen-resistant MCF-7 cells are the softest ones. MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 show an intermediate mechanical phenotype. Confocal fluorescence microscopy on cytoskeletal elements shows differences in actin network organization, as well as changes in focal adhesion localization. These findings provide further evidence of distinct changes in the mechanical properties of cancer cells compared to healthy cells and add to the present understanding of the complex alterations involved in tumorigenesis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Advances in Cell Mechanics)
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