Affiliations: CNRS UMR7101, Laboratoire de Neurobiologie des Signaux Intercellulaires, Régénération et Croissance Axonale, Paris, France | Université Paris V, Laboratoire de Neuro-Physique Cellulaire, Paris, France | Centre de Recherche Inserm-UJF U823, Equipe DySAD, IAB Site Santé, La Tronche, Grenoble, France | Inserm UMR841, Institut Mondor de Recherche Biomédicale, Equipe Biomécanique Cellulaire et Respiratoire, Créteil, France
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Daniel Isabey, Inserm UMR 841, Equipe Biomécanique Cellulaire et Respiratoire, Faculté de Médecine, 8, rue du Général Sarrail, 94 010 CRETEIL Cedex, France. Tel.: +33 1 49 81 37 00; Fax: +33 1 48 98 17 77; E-mail: daniel.isabey@creteil.inserm.fr.
Abstract: The sensitivity of alveolar macrophages to substrate properties has been described in a recent paper (Féréol et al., Cell Motil. Cytoskel. 63 (2006), 321–340). It is presently re-analyzed in terms of F-actin structure (assessed from 3D-reconstructions in fixed cells) and mechanical properties (assessed by Magnetic Twisting Cytometry experiments in living cells) of cortical and deep cytoskeleton structures for rigid plastic (Young Modulus: 3 MPa) or glass (70 MPa) substrates and a soft (~0.1 kPa) confluent monolayer of alveolar epithelial cells. The cortical cytoskeleton component (lowest F-actin density) is represented by the rapid and softer viscoelastic compartment while the deep cytoskeleton component (intermediate F-actin density) is represented by the slow and stiffer compartment. Stiffness of both cortical and deep cytoskeleton is significantly decreased when soft confluent monolayer of alveolar epithelial cells replace the rigid plastic substrate while F-actin reconstructions reveal a consistent actin cytoskeleton remodeling observable on both cytoskeleton components.
