Force measurements for cancer cells

Abstract

During cytoskeleton remodeling, cancer cells generate force at the plasma membrane that originates from chemical motors (e.g., actin). This force (pN) and its time course reflect the on and off-rates of the motors. We describe the design and calibration of a force-measuring device (i.e., optical tweezers) that is used to monitor this force and its time course at the edge of a cell, with particular emphasis on the temporal resolution of the instrument.