Nanoscale study of cellular mechanisms of mechanoresponsiveness
Cells actively adapt to changes in the structure and stiffness of their environment. Prof. Gijsje Koenderink (AMOLF) and dr. Arnoud Sonnenberg (NKI) intend to use the new cryo-TEMs to study the size and ultrastructure of cell-matrix adhesions, the ultrastructure of the cytoskeleton, and the organization of the heterochromatin. They want to know how theses structures change depending on substrate rigidity, and how they are affected by mechanical forces applied by shear or substrate stretching .
Publication
Litjens, S.H.M., de Pereda, J.M., and Sonnenberg, A. Current insights into the formation and breakdown of hemidesmosomes. Trends Cell Biol. 16:376-383 (2006)
