Fig. 8: Microgeometry and F-actin interplay during fMPA modulate PIEZO1 activity at the tongue of aspirated cells. | Nature Communications

Fig. 8: Microgeometry and F-actin interplay during fMPA modulate PIEZO1 activity at the tongue of aspirated cells.

From: Microscale geometrical modulation of PIEZO1 mediated mechanosensing through cytoskeletal redistribution

Fig. 8

Microgeometry parameters, such as tip angle θ and opening diameter d, globally enhance PIEZO1 activity on the cell membrane while F-actin filaments inside the cell concurrently respond to mechanical aspiration. Reorganized F-actin accumulates at the neck of the aspirated cell, acting as a physical constriction on the membrane to isolate the propagation of membrane tension from the tongue. Concentrated tension at the tongue induces PIEZO1 hyperactivity and results in strong calcium mobilization. Hinderance of F-actin accumulation at the neck, due to either lack of physical constriction (micropipette tip angle θ = 0°) or prohibited actin mobility when cells are adhered to the extracellular matrix, results in low PIEZO1 activity at the tongue. Figure is created with BioRender.com released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 International license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/deed.en.

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