The stiffness of adherent mammalian cells is regulated by the elasticity of substrates due to mechanotransduction via integrin-based focal adhesions. Dictyostelium discoideum is an ameboid protozoan model organism that does not carry genes for classical integrin and can adhere to substrates without forming focal adhesions. It also has a life cycle that naturally includes both single-cellular and multicellular life forms. In this article, we report the measurements of the elastic modulus of single cells on varied substrate stiffnesses and the elastic modulus of the multicellular "slug" using atomic force microscopy (AFM) as a microindenter/force transducer. The results show that the elastic modulus of the Dictyostelium cell is regulated by the stiffness of the substrate and its surrounding cells, which is similar to the mechanotransduction behavior of mammalian cells.

中文翻译：

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网柄菌的弹性模量受力传导的影响


由于通过基于整合素的粘着斑进行机械转导，贴壁哺乳动物细胞的硬度受到基质弹性的调节。盘基网柄菌是一种阿米巴原生动物模型生物，不携带经典整合素基因，可以粘附在基质上而不形成粘着斑。它也有一个自然包括单细胞和多细胞生命形式的生命周期。在本文中，我们报告了使用原子力显微镜（AFM）作为微压头/力传感器测量单细胞在不同基底刚度上的弹性模量以及多细胞“块”的弹性模量。结果表明，盘基网柄菌细胞的弹性模量受基底及其周围细胞的刚度调节，这与哺乳动物细胞的力传导行为相似。