ArticleNature materials2020
Cortical cell stiffness is independent of substrate mechanics.
Article in Nature materials, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 66 papers.
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.
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.
Who cites it
66 citing papers in PubMed, 145 citations in OpenAlex.
- Actin conformation dynamics precede force generation in cytotoxic T lymphocytes.Communications biology · 2026Article
- Structural architecture of collagen and collagen-fibronectin networks is associated with the invasive behavior of liver cancer cells.Cellular oncology (Dordrecht, Netherlands) · 2026Article
- Transient mechanical activation of the Piezo1 channel facilitates ex vivo expansion of hematopoietic stem cells.Cell research · 2026Article
- Enhancement of accuracy and precision of cell Young's modulus measurement: FEM optimization and algebraic compensation.Biomedical optics express · 2026Article
- Dynamic matrix engineering promotes nascent protein deposition to drive cell migration and expedite Re-epithelization in chronic wound.Bioactive materials · 2026Article
- Substrate stiffness and cellular microenvironment regulate cell and junction mechanics in iPSC-derived brain microvascular endothelial cells.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Dimensional memory in glioblastoma mechanics: Traction force analysis of cells cultured in 2D versus 3D collagen environments.Bioactive materials · 2026Article
- Atomic force microscope protocols for characterising the elastoviscoplastic biomechanical properties of corneocytes.Communications biology · 2025Article
- At the Pointy End of Mechanobiology: AFM for Transient Biomechanical Analysis.Advanced healthcare materials · 2025Review
- Targeting leukemic stem cell biomechanics suppresses stemness and enhances NK cell-mediated immunotherapy.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Highly transparent elastic optical microcavities for interferometric mapping of cell mechanics.Biomedical optics express · 2025Article
- Mechanical Properties of Endothelial Cells: A Key to Physiology, Drug Testing and Nanostructure Interaction.Cells · 2025Review
- Blocking axon-glial mechanotransduction to prevent concussive brain injury.Acta neuropathologica communications · 2025Article
- Review
- Substrate stiffness and pressure alter retinal Müller glia response and extracellular matrix production.Biomaterials and biosystems · 2025Article
- Geometrically Controlled WNT Activation Drives Intestinal Morphogenesis.Advanced healthcare materials · 2025Article
- Piezo1 balances membrane and cortex tension to stabilize intercellular junctions and maintain the epithelial barrier.Journal of cell science · 2025Article
- Controlling fluid flow rate to separate leukocytes and cancer cells based on stiffness differences.Mikrochimica acta · 2025Article
- Piezo1-induced durotaxis of pancreatic stellate cells depends on TRPC1 and TRPV4 channels.Journal of cell science · 2025Article
- Robust quantification of cellular mechanics using optical tweezers.Biophysical reports · 2025Article
6 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
Cortical stiffness is an important cellular property that changes during migration, adhesion and growth. Previous atomic force microscopy (AFM) indentation measurements of cells cultured on deformable substrates have suggested that cells adapt their stiffness to that of their surroundings. Here we show that the force applied by AFM to a cell results in a significant deformation of the underlying substrate if this substrate is softer than the cell. This 'soft substrate effect' leads to an underestimation of a cell's elastic modulus when analysing data using a standard Hertz model, as confirmed by finite element modelling and AFM measurements of calibrated polyacrylamide beads, microglial cells and fibroblasts. To account for this substrate deformation, we developed a 'composite cell-substrate model'. Correcting for the substrate indentation revealed that cortical cell stiffness is largely independent of substrate mechanics, which has major implications for our interpretation of many physiological and pathological processes.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.