Effective cell membrane tension is independent of polyacrylamide substrate stiffness

Abstract

The mechanical properties of the cellular environment may regulate many crucial cell functions. Membrane tension is thought to be a key player in the transduction of mechanical signals, such as substrate stiffness, into intracellular, biochemical responses. For example, it is widely accepted that the mechanosensitive ion channel, Piezo1, which is critical for many biological and biomedical processes, is activated by an increase in membrane tension. Investigating the effective membrane tension in living cells and how it relates to substrate stiffness and actomyosin-based contractility is important for a better understanding of the interactions between cell membrane and cortex, and it may help understand how mechanosensitive ion channels are activated.