The surfaces of many bacteria are decorated with long, exquisitely thin appendages called
type IV pili (T4P), dynamic filaments that are rapidly polymerized and depolymerized from a …

Cells exert, sense, and respond to physical forces through an astounding diversity of
mechanisms. Here we review recently developed tools to quantify the forces generated by …

Mechanical properties play important roles at different scales in biology. At the level of a
single cell, the mechanical properties mediate mechanosensing and mechanotransduction …

In 1971, Gabbiani and co-workers discovered and characterized the “modification of
fibroblasts into cells which are capable of an active spasm”(contraction) in rat wound …

Cell migration is crucial for cancer dissemination. We find that AMP-activated protein kinase
(AMPK) controls cell migration by acting as an adhesion sensing molecular hub. In 3 …

Since their invention in 1986 by Arthur Ashkin and colleagues, optical tweezers have
become an essential tool in several fields of physics, spectroscopy, biology …

Current techniques for visualizing and quantifying cellular forces have limitations in live cell
imaging, throughput, and multi-scale analysis, which impede progress in cell force research …

Cells and tissues can sense and react to the modifications of the physico-chemical
properties of the extracellular environment (ECM) through integrin-based adhesion sites and …

Living tissues are active, multifunctional materials capable of generating, sensing,
withstanding and responding to mechanical stress. These capabilities enable tissues to …

There is growing appreciation of the importance of the mechanical properties of the tumor
microenvironment on disease progression. However, the role of extracellular matrix (ECM) …