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A human breast cancer cell immediately shifts its shape at high viscosity

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Yun Chen
Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins University
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Membrane ruffling is a mechanosensor of extracellular fluid viscosity - Nature Physics

Living cells change their behaviour in response to the viscosity of the medium surrounding them. An in vitro study shows that cells spread wider and move faster in a highly viscous medium, provided they have an actively ruffling lamellipodium.

Upon viscosity increase, from water-like to honey-like viscous drag will immediately redistribute the membrane originally stored in the ruffles, resulting in a 2-fold increase of spread area, formation of more focal adhesions, generating greater traction forces, and twice faster cell migration. See more details at this link.

Go to the profile of Yun Chen
Yun Chen
Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins University

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