Rigidity sensing explained by active matter theory
arXiv:1109.1206 · doi:10.1016/j.bpj.2011.08.023
Abstract
The magnitude of traction forces exerted by living animal cells on their environment is a monotonically increasing and approximately sigmoidal function of the stiffness of the external medium. This observation is rationalized using active matter theory: adaptation to substrate rigidity results from an interplay between passive elasticity and active contractility.
4 pages, 2 figures
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