Extended Data Fig. 4: Laser ablation showed decreased cortical tension upon addition of viscous medium followed by a return to baseline.

Both the a) initial cut distance and b) retraction rate showed a decrease and then recovery in 1% MC. Time refers to duration of incubation in 1% MC; error bars: SD; p ≥ 0.05 (n.s.), < 0.05 (*); < 0.001 (***); N = 19 (control), 6 (0–5 min), 9 (5–15 min), 25 (>15 min). c) The time courses of membrane ruffling and cortical tension of cells subjected to 1% MC reveal that ruffle disappearance began instantaneously upon medium change, but a significant reduction in cortical tension occurred only after a 10-minute delay. d) Representative cell images and e) zoomed-in regions show actin arc retraction following laser ablation; white squares highlight ablated regions; ablations performed at 2 seconds; scale: d) 20 μm, e) 10 μm.