ArticleFrontiers in cellular neuroscience2015
Microglia mechanics: immune activation alters traction forces and durotaxis.
Article in Frontiers in cellular neuroscience, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 75 papers.
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Who cites it
75 citing papers in PubMed.
- Mechano-immunomodulatory biomaterials: From immune mechanosensing to translational design.Bioactive materials · 2026Review
- Pathological extracellular matrix changes in decellularized normal appearing gray matter and subpial multiple sclerosis lesions.iScience · 2026Article
- Microengineered Gradient Hydrogels for Mechanobiology.Advanced healthcare materials · 2026Review
- Mechanical regulation of microenvironment remodeling in brain tumors: from mechanism to therapy.Journal of neuroinflammation · 2026Review
- Piezo1 in the central nervous system: decoding the mechanical signature of neuroinflammation.Journal of neuroinflammation · 2026Review
- Capillary-Associated Microglia in Neurovascular Coupling: Localization, Mechanisms, and Disease Implications.Journal of neuroinflammation · 2026Review
- Dimensional memory in glioblastoma mechanics: Traction force analysis of cells cultured in 2D versus 3D collagen environments.Bioactive materials · 2026Article
- Mechanobiology of hippocampal neurogenesis: directing neural stem cell fate through physical cues.Frontiers in molecular neuroscience · 2026Review
- Stiff matrix drives microglial cell migration through Piezo1/CaRegenerative biomaterials · 2026Article
- A hypothesis and evidence map for neuroimmune regulation of DOCK-family cytoskeletal programs in solid tumors.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Review
- Piezo1 in microglial cells: Implications for neuroinflammation and tumorigenesis.Channels (Austin, Tex.) · 2025Review
- Finite element model predicts micromotion-induced strain profiles that correlate with the functional performance of Utah arrays in humans and non-human primates.Journal of neural engineering · 2025Article
- Making tracks: microglia and the extracellular matrix.Molecular neurodegeneration · 2025Review
- Substrate stiffness and pressure alter retinal Müller glia response and extracellular matrix production.Biomaterials and biosystems · 2025Article
- Article
- Correction: Microglia are essential for tissue contraction in wound closure after brain injury in zebrafish larvae.Life science alliance · 2025Article
- Microglia are essential for tissue contraction in wound closure after brain injury in zebrafish larvae.Life science alliance · 2025Article
- Microglial Mechanisms and Therapeutic Potential in Brain Injury Post-Intracerebral Hemorrhage.Journal of inflammation research · 2025Review
- Mechanosensitive Piezo1 channel: an emerging target in demyelination disease.Frontiers in cellular neuroscience · 2025Review
- The Networking Brain: How Extracellular Matrix, Cellular Networks, and Vasculature Shape the In Vivo Mechanical Properties of the Brain.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2024Review
15 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Microglial cells are key players in the primary immune response of the central nervous system. They are highly active and motile cells that chemically and mechanically interact with their environment. While the impact of chemical signaling on microglia function has been studied in much detail, the current understanding of mechanical signaling is very limited. When cultured on compliant substrates, primary microglial cells adapted their spread area, morphology, and actin cytoskeleton to the stiffness of their environment. Traction force microscopy revealed that forces exerted by microglia increase with substrate stiffness until reaching a plateau at a shear modulus of ~5 kPa. When cultured on substrates incorporating stiffness gradients, microglia preferentially migrated toward stiffer regions, a process termed durotaxis. Lipopolysaccharide-induced immune-activation of microglia led to changes in traction forces, increased migration velocities and an amplification of durotaxis. We finally developed a mathematical model connecting traction forces with the durotactic behavior of migrating microglial cells. Our results demonstrate that microglia are susceptible to mechanical signals, which could be important during central nervous system development and pathologies. Stiffness gradients in tissue surrounding neural implants such as electrodes, for example, could mechanically attract microglial cells, thus facilitating foreign body reactions detrimental to electrode functioning.
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