Cyclic stretch induces cell reorientation on substrates by destabilizing catch bonds in focal adhesions

PLoS One. 2012;7(11):e48346. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0048346. Epub 2012 Nov 12.

Abstract

A minimal model of cellular mechanosensing system that consists of a single stress fiber adhering on a substrate via two focal adhesions made of catch bonds is adopted to investigate the phenomena of cell reorientation on substrates induced by an applied uniaxial cyclic stretch. The model indicates that the catch bonds in the focal adhesions experience a periodically oscillating internal force with amplitude and frequency controlled by two intrinsic clocks of the stress fiber, one associated with localized activation and the other with homogeneous activation of sarcomere units along the stress fiber. It is shown that this oscillating force due to cyclic stretch tends to destabilize focal adhesions by reducing the lifetime of catch bonds. The resulting slide or relocation of focal adhesions then causes the associated stress fiber to shorten and rotate to configurations nearly perpendicular to the stretching direction. These predicted behaviors from our model are consistent with a wide range of experimental observations.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms
  • Biomechanical Phenomena
  • Cell Adhesion
  • Focal Adhesions / physiology*
  • Models, Biological*
  • Sarcomeres / physiology
  • Stress, Mechanical*

Grants and funding

BC acknowledges the support provided by the Fundamental Research Funds for Central Universities, China (2011XZZX002). H.G. acknowledges the generous support provided by a Humboldt Research Award for senior scientists from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany. This work was supported by the A*Star Visiting Investigator Program, “Size Effects in Small Scale Materials”, hosted at the Institute of High Performance Computing in Singapore. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.