Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25306545›Full record

ArticleNature methods2014

A DNA-based molecular probe for optically reporting cellular traction forces.

Brandon L Blakely, Christoph E Dumelin, Britta Trappmann, Lynn M McGregor, Colin K Choi, Peter C Anthony, Van K Duesterberg, Brendon M Baker, Steven M Block, David R Liu and 1 more

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Nature methods, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 122 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
122citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

122 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Traction Force Microscopy with DNA FluoroCubes.Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids · 2026
    Article
  6. Review
  7. Force-dependent structural dynamics of the giant nesprin-2.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026
    Article
  8. Review
  9. Article
  10. Quantitative, Label-Free Mapping of Cell Force Dynamics.Small (Weinheim an der Bergstrasse, Germany) · 2025
    Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Uncertainty-aware traction force microscopy.PLoS computational biology · 2025
    Article
  14. Review
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Review
  20. Cellular and Nuclear Forces: An Overview.Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.) · 2025
    Review

62 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Brandon L BlakelyDepartment of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
Christoph E DumelinX-Chem, Inc., Waltham, Massachusetts, USA.
Britta Trappmann1] Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. [2] The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Lynn M McGregor1] Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. [2] Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
Colin K Choi1] Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. [2] The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Peter C AnthonyBiophysics Program, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.
Van K DuesterbergBiophysics Program, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.
Brendon M Baker1] Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. [2] The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Steven M Block1] Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA. [2] Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA.
David R Liu1] Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. [2] Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
Christopher S Chen1] Department of Bioengineering, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. [2] Department of Biomedical Engineering, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. [3] The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Funding

RESBIO - the Technology Resource for Polymeric BiomaterialsP41EB001046 · NIBIB · RUTGERS THE ST UNIV OF NJ NEW BRUNSWICK · PI KOHN, JOACHIM B. · 2003 to 2017
$17.0M
Molecular Biophysics Training Program at StanfordT32GM008294 · NIGMS · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · PI HUANG, KERWYN C. · 1989 to 2019
$7.4M
Tissue Chips for Rare Disease: Adding Timothy Syndrome to the HeLIVaSkCa platformUH3EB017103 · NIBIB · COLUMBIA UNIV NEW YORK MORNINGSIDE · PI VUNJAK-NOVAKOVIC, GORDANA · 2014 to 2016
$7.1M
REGULATION OF ANGIOGENESIS BY MICROENVIRONMENTAL CUESR01EB000262 · NIBIB · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI CHEN, CHRISTOPHER S · 2002 to 2023
$6.2M
Engineering Multicellular Tissue Structure, Function, and VascularizationR01EB008396 · NIBIB · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI BHATIA, SANGEETA N., CHEN, CHRISTOPHER S · 2009 to 2018
$5.8M
Nucleic Acid Enzymes and Nucleic Acids Studied at the Molecular LevelR37GM057035 · NIGMS · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · PI BLOCK, STEVEN M · 2010 to 2019
$5.7M
Synthesis and Discovery Through DNA-Templated ChemistryR01GM065865 · NIGMS · HARVARD UNIVERSITY · PI LIU, DAVID R · 2003 to 2015
$5.1M
Translational Research in Regenerative MedicineT32EB005583 · NIBIB · RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIV OF N.J. · PI LEE, KIBUM, PAREKKADAN, BIJU · 2006 to 2022
$4.7M
TRANSCRIPTION STUDIED AT THE MOLECULAR LEVELR01GM057035 · NIGMS · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · PI BLOCK, STEVEN M · 1997 to 2009
$3.3M
Mesenchymal Stem Cells and the MicroenvironmentR01GM074048 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI CHEN, CHRISTOPHER S · 2006 to 2013
$2.5M
Stiffness, cadherins, and integrins in mechanochemical signalingR01HL115553 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · PI ASSOIAN, RICHARD, CHEN, CHRISTOPHER S · 2013 to 2016
$2.1M
Howard Hughes Medical InstituteNHLBI NIH HHS HL115553NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL115553NIBIB NIH HHS EB001046NIBIB NIH HHS EB00262NIBIB NIH HHS EB08396NIBIB NIH HHS P41 EB001046NIBIB NIH HHS R01 EB000262NIBIB NIH HHS R01 EB008396NIBIB NIH HHS T32 EB005583NIBIB NIH HHS UH3 EB017103NIGMS NIH HHS GM065865NIGMS NIH HHS GM57035NIGMS NIH HHS GM74048NIGMS NIH HHS R01 GM057035NIGMS NIH HHS R01 GM065865NIGMS NIH HHS R01 GM074048NIGMS NIH HHS R37 GM057035NIGMS NIH HHS T32 GM008294
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

We developed molecular tension probes (TPs) that report traction forces of adherent cells with high spatial resolution, can in principle be linked to virtually any surface, and obviate monitoring deformations of elastic substrates. TPs consist of DNA hairpins conjugated to fluorophore-quencher pairs that unfold and fluoresce when subjected to specific forces. We applied TPs to reveal that cellular traction forces are heterogeneous within focal adhesions and localized at their distal edges.

Indexed as

DNA ProbesAnimalsCell AdhesionCells, CulturedEmbryo, MammalianFibroblastsFocal AdhesionsMechanotransduction, CellularMiceMicroscopy, FluorescenceDNA Probes

Identifiers

PMID25306545
PMCPMC4247985

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.