The research objective of this award is to understand how contractile cells use information from their physical microenvironment to dynamically control their contraction. The observation that cells in different tissues generate different amounts of tension has led to the concept of ?tensional homeostasis?, in which a cell organizes itself to maintain a constant tension within a given tissue. Studies conducted as part of this project will directly tests this hypothesis in single cells using force microscopy combined with micropatterning to control cell adhesions and fluorescence microscopy to track key molecules involved in tension generation. This work will develop new experimental techniques for quantifying the response of cells to mechanical signals and identify molecular mechanisms involved in mechanosensing.
This project will address basic questions in mechanobiology that have the potential to clarify the mechanical control parameters cells use to maintain proper physiological tissue function. This work will also advance the development of computational models of cell mechanics by establishing constitutive relationships. The educational plan associated with this project will provide new opportunities for middle school science students and the general public to learn about the role of mechanics in biology. Activities for middle school students will be developed that introduce them to the material properties of objects in their environment, and an exhibit on properties of materials within the human body will be developed for presentation at community science events. Both activities will include undergraduate and graduate students and help to improve their ability to communicate science to non-scientists.
