Figure 1 | Scientific Reports

Figure 1

From: Cyclic stretching-induced epithelial cell reorientation is driven by microtubule-modulated transverse extension during the relaxation phase

Figure 1

Cell stretcher built upon a microscope with a motorized stage. (a) The opposite ends of an elastic PAA gel are covalently bonded to a supporting coverslip and a handle, respectively. The stretcher is mounted on an acrylic holder to form a cell culture chamber and placed on the motorized microscope stage. (b) After locating the region of interest, the handle of the gel is anchored by a rod mounted on a micromanipulator. Back and forth movements of the stage cause cyclic stretching of the gel. (c) Micropatterned squares on the gel surface, 50 × 50 µm2 in size and 50 µm apart from each other, are revealed by the concentration of fluorescent beads underneath protein-coated regions during microcontact printing. (d) Axial and transverse strains of the gel, as measured by the deformation of the square pattern, vary linearly with calculated strains. However, axial strain is > 6 times larger than transverse strain (scale bar, 100 μm; n = 5, mean ± SEM).

Back to article page