@article{TEXTUAL,
      recid = {10489},
      author = {Borau, Carlos and Kim, Taeyoon and Bidone, Tamara and  García-Aznar, José Manuel and Kamm, Roger D.},
      title = {Dynamic Mechanisms of Cell Rigidity Sensing: Insights from  a Computational Model of Actomyosin Networks},
      journal = {PLOS ONE},
      address = {2012-11-05},
      number = {TEXTUAL},
      abstract = {<p>Cells modulate themselves in response to the  surrounding environment like substrate elasticity,  exhibiting structural reorganization driven by the  contractility of cytoskeleton. The cytoskeleton is the  scaffolding structure of eukaryotic cells, playing a  central role in many mechanical and biological functions.  It is composed of a network of actins, actin cross-linking  proteins (ACPs), and molecular motors. The motors generate  contractile forces by sliding couples of actin filaments in  a polar fashion, and the contractile response of the  cytoskeleton network is known to be modulated also by  external stimuli, such as substrate stiffness. This implies  an important role of actomyosin contractility in the cell  mechano-sensing. However, how cells sense matrix stiffness  via the contractility remains an open question. Here, we  present a 3-D Brownian dynamics computational model of a  cross-linked actin network including the dynamics of  molecular motors and ACPs. The mechano-sensing properties  of this active network are investigated by evaluating  contraction and stress in response to different substrate  stiffness. <a href="#s3">Results</a> demonstrate two  mechanisms that act to limit internal stress: (i) In stiff  substrates, motors walk until they exert their maximum  force, leading to a plateau stress that is independent of  substrate stiffness, whereas (ii) in soft substrates,  motors walk until they become blocked by other motors or  ACPs, leading to submaximal stress levels. Therefore, this  study provides new insights into the role of molecular  motors in the contraction and rigidity sensing of  cells.</p>},
      url = {http://knowledge.uchicago.edu/record/10489},
}