Cell traction force plays a critical role in directing cellular functions, such as proliferation, migration, and differentiation. Current understanding of cell traction force is largely derived from 2D measurements where cells are plated on 2D substrates. However, 2D measurements do not recapitulate a vital aspect of living systems, that is, cells actively remodel their surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM), and the remodeled ECM, in return, can have a profound impact on cell phenotype and traction force generation. This reciprocal adaptivity of living systems is encoded in the material properties of biological gels. In this review, we summarize recent progress in measuring cell traction force for cells embedded within 3D biological gels, with an emphasis on cell–ECM cross talk. We also provide perspectives on tools and techniques that could be adapted to measure cell traction force in complex biochemical and biophysical environments.Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Biomedical Engineering, Volume 26 is May 2024. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

中文翻译：

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生物凝胶中的 3D 牵引力显微镜：从单细胞到多细胞球体

细胞牵引力在指导细胞功能（例如增殖、迁移和分化）中起着至关重要的作用。目前对细胞牵引力的理解很大程度上来源于二维测量，其中细胞被镀在二维基板上。然而，二维测量并不能概括生命系统的一个重要方面，即细胞主动重塑其周围的细胞外基质 (ECM)，而重塑的 ECM 反过来会对细胞表型和牵引力产生产生深远的影响。生命系统的这种相互适应性被编码在生物凝胶的材料特性中。在这篇综述中，我们总结了测量嵌入 3D 生物凝胶中的细胞的细胞牵引力的最新进展，重点是细胞与 ECM 的串扰。我们还提供了有关可用于测量复杂生化和生物物理环境中细胞牵引力的工具和技术的观点。《生物医学工程年度评论》第 26 卷的预计最终在线发布日期为 2024 年 5 月。请参阅 http://www .annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates 了解修订后的估计。