ArticleBiomaterials2011
The regulation of traction force in relation to cell shape and focal adhesions.
Article in Biomaterials, 2011. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 129 papers.
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Who cites it
129 citing papers in PubMed.
- Quantitative analysis of fibroblast migration reveals migratory states characterized by force generation, cell shape and motion.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Effects of Intracellular Force Localization on Cancer Cell Invasion: Revealing Mechanical Trade-offs through Experimentally Validated Computational Models.ACS biomaterials science & engineering · 2026Article
- Spatial relationships between vinculin tension and actin at cell adhesions define cell colony positioning and identity.Biophysical journal · 2026Article
- The effects of nanopillar and nanopit arrays on the morphology and osteogenic differentiation of adipose-derived stem cells.Applied microscopy · 2026Article
- The RNA-binding protein RNP1A is essential and interacts with contractility kit proteins to facilitate cell mechanics.Journal of cell science · 2026Article
- Nano- and Microscale Chemical and Topographical Patterning of Synthetic Cell Scaffolds: from Hard to Soft Materials.ACS materials Au · 2025Review
- Quantifying cell traction forces at the single-fiber scale in 3D: An approach based on deformable photopolymerized fiber arrays.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2025Article
- Enhanced Unidirectional Cell Migration Induced by Asymmetrical Micropatterns with Nanostructures.Journal of functional biomaterials · 2025Article
- Cellular and Nuclear Forces: An Overview.Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) · 2025Review
- Inferring cellular contractile forces and work using deep morphology traction microscopy.Biophysical journal · 2024Article
- Advances in micropatterning technology for mechanotransduction research.Mechanobiology in medicine · 2024Review
- Diffusion model predicts the geometry of actin cytoskeleton from cell morphology.PLoS computational biology · 2024Article
- 3D Traction Force Microscopy in Biological Gels: From Single Cells to Multicellular Spheroids.Annual review of biomedical engineering · 2024Review
- Vimentin is a key regulator of cell mechanosensing through opposite actions on actomyosin and microtubule networks.Communications biology · 2024Article
- Enhancing angiogenesis in peri-implant soft tissue with bioactive silk fibroin microgroove coatings on zirconia surfaces.Regenerative biomaterials · 2024Article
- Synergy of Nanotopography and Electrical Conductivity of PEDOT/PSS for Enhanced Neuronal Development.ACS applied materials & interfaces · 2023Article
- Phosphoproteomic Changes Induced by Cell-Derived Matrix and Their Effect on Tumor Cell Migration and Cytoskeleton Remodeling.ACS biomaterials science & engineering · 2023Article
- Insight to motor clutch model for sensing of ECM residual strain.Mechanobiology in medicine · 2023Article
- Crawling, waving, inch worming, dilating, and pivoting mechanics of migrating cells: Lessons from Ken Jacobson.Biophysical journal · 2023Review
- A machine learning approach to predict cellular mechanical stresses in response to chemical perturbation.Biophysical journal · 2023Article
69 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Mechanical forces provide critical inputs for proper cellular functions. The interplay between the generation of, and response to, mechanical forces regulate such cellular processes as differentiation, proliferation, and migration. We postulate that adherent cells respond to a number of physical and topographical factors, including cell size and shape, by detecting the magnitude and/or distribution of traction forces under different conditions. To address this possibility we introduce a new simple method for precise micropatterning of hydrogels, and then apply the technique to systematically investigate the relationship between cell geometry, focal adhesions, and traction forces in cells with a series of spread areas and aspect ratios. Contrary to previous findings, we find that traction force is not determined primarily by the cell spreading area but by the distance from cell center to the perimeter. This distance in turn controls traction forces by regulating the size of focal adhesions, such that constraining the size of focal adhesions by micropatterning can override the effect of geometry. We propose that the responses of traction forces to center-periphery distance, possibly through a positive feedback mechanism that regulates focal adhesions, provide the cell with the information on its own shape and size. A similar positive feedback control may allow cells to respond to a variety of physical or topographical signals via a unified mechanism.
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Registered trials
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