CFM: Confinement Force Microscopy-a dynamic, precise and stable microconfiner for traction force microscopy to study confined cell behaviour

by Fatemeh Abbasi
Doctoral thesis
Date of Examination:2023-11-28
Date of issue:2024-01-11
Advisor:Prof. Dr. Timo Betz
Referee:Prof. Dr. Timo Betz
Referee:Prof. Dr. Sarah Köster
Persistent Address: http://dx.doi.org/10.53846/goediss-10284

 

 

Files in this item

Name:Thesis_Fatemeh Abbasi.pdf
Size:21.4Mb
Format:PDF
Description:Doctoral Thesis-Title: CFM: Confinement Force Microscopy-a dynamic, precise and stable microconfiner for traction force microscopy to study confined cell behaviour

The following license files are associated with this item:

Abstract

English

Physical properties of the 3D microenvironment and the residing tissue affect cell behavior and function. 3D environment represents major physical obstacles for cell migration, such as spatial confinement, which could impact vital biological processes such as cell migration and division. It occurs through the cytoskeletal reorganization and subsequently impacts cell traction forces, which is known to direct cell decision-making. In vivo, cells undergo various biological processes under confinement successfully and it is not well-known yet, how they are capable of dealing with such complex conditions and accomplishing their tasks flawlessly. Hence, it is important to investigate the effect of confinement on different cell behaviors, while being able to measure the traction forces, to find the mechanism behind confined cell behavior. Unfortunately, the existing confinement methods cannot fulfill this requirement and there is an indispensable need for a 3D system, which is capable of mimicking the in vivo confined condition, as well as measuring the cell traction forces in confinement. To satisfy this need, we invented CFM (Confinement Force Microscopy), which enables us to adjust the confinement level during live imaging, as well as measuring the traction forces in confinement. We demonstrated the power of CFM by investigating mechanical response of different biological scales, from cell to the cancer spheroid and Drosophila embryos. We measured the mechanical properties of the cancer spheroids as well as the force production during various confined biological processes such as cell migration, cell death, cancer spheroid invasion and Drosophila embryo cellularization.
Keywords: Cell confinement- Traction force microscopy- Microconfiner- Cell mechanics
 
Statistik