Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California-Davis, Davis, California, USA.
Biophys J. 2011 Nov 2;101(9):2139-46. doi: 10.1016/j.bpj.2011.09.042. Epub 2011 Nov 1.
The influence of nucleus shape and orientation on the elastic modulus of epithelial cells was investigated with atomic force microscopy. The shape and orientation were controlled by presenting the epithelial cells with anisotropic parallel ridges and grooves of varying pitch at the cell substratum. As the cells oriented to the underlying topography, the volume of the nucleus increased as the pitch of the topography increased from 400 nm to 2000 nm. The increase in nucleus volume was reflected by an increase in the measured elastic modulus of the topographically aligned cells. Significant alterations in the shape of the nucleus, by intimate contact with the topographic ridge and grooves of the underlying cell, were also observed via confocal microscopy, indicating that the nucleus may also act as a direct mechanosensor of substratum topography.
利用原子力显微镜研究了细胞核形状和取向对上皮细胞弹性模量的影响。通过在细胞基底上呈现各向异性平行脊和不同节距的沟槽来控制形状和取向。随着细胞适应基底形貌，细胞核的体积随着形貌节距从 400nm 增加到 2000nm 而增加。通过共聚焦显微镜观察到细胞核形状的显著变化，这是由于细胞核与基底细胞的形貌脊和沟槽紧密接触所致，这表明细胞核也可能作为基底形貌的直接机械感受器。
