Mechanobiological regulation of cell and tissue architecture by actomyosin stress fiber bundles

University Of California-Berkeley, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Abstract

Actomyosin stress fiber bundles, or ?stress fibers,? are cable-like structures that run along the base of a living cell and enable the cell to generate tractional forces against its environment, a functionality that is critical to cell structure control and migration. This program seeks to investigate the role played by stress fibers in the regulation of cell and tissue structure and mechanics. There are two key program goals. The first goal is to elucidate the relationship between extracellular matrix rigidity and stress fiber elasticity. Key approaches here include fabrication of cell culture substrates with defined mechanical and biochemical properties, and use of femtosecond laser ablation and other advanced optical imaging methods to probe individual stress fibers in living cells. The second goal is to investigate the role played by individual stress fibers in controlling the architecture and mechanics of multicellular structures, both in two-dimensional and three-dimensional culture. This program will contribute to our fundamental understanding of mechanisms that living cells use to define and modify their structure, behaviors that are central both to normal tissue development and disease. This program will also provide mechanistic insight into the increasingly-appreciated role played by mechanical force in controlling cell physiology, which in turn may contribute to more rational design strategies for cell and tissue engineering systems. In addition, there are two key educational goals of this program, including development of a graduate-level course and organization of a regional research symposium featuring faculty and students from predominantly undergraduate institutions, both in the subject area of cell and tissue mechanotransduction.