The mechanical properties of cells are essential to maintain their proper functions, and mainly rely on their cytoskeleton. A lot of attention has been paid to actin filaments, demonstrating their central role in the cells mechanical properties, but much less is known about the participation of intermediate filament (IF) networks. Indeed the contribution of IFs, such as vimentin, keratins and lamins, to cell mechanics has only been assessed recently. We study here the involvement of desmin, an IF specifically expressed in muscle cells, in the rheology of immature muscle cells. Desmin can carry mutations responsible for a class of muscle pathologies named desminopathies.

中文翻译：

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结蛋白网络是成肌细胞细胞质硬度的决定因素

细胞的机械特性对于维持其正常功能至关重要，主要依赖于它们的细胞骨架。人们对肌动蛋白丝给予了很多关注，证明了它们在细胞机械性能中的核心作用，但对中间丝 (IF) 网络的参与知之甚少。事实上，最近才评估了 IF，如波形蛋白、角蛋白和核纤层蛋白对细胞力学的贡献。我们在这里研究了结蛋白（一种在肌肉细胞中特异性表达的 IF）在未成熟肌肉细胞的流变学中的参与。结蛋白可以携带导致一类名为结蛋白病的肌肉病理的突变。