Page 86 - ebook

[B. Cell Biology/Stem Cell] B-43

Selective Modulation of Single Molecular Force in Integrin

Differentiates Cell Migration

Seong-Beom Han¹, Dong-Hwee Kim¹,²*

¹KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea,

²Department of Integrative Energy Engineering, Korea University, Seoul 02841, Korea

Cells sense their micro-environment and alter their morphology dynamically to adapt to continuously changing

physical stimuli. Cell migration is one of the most essential features of diverse cellular functions such as wound
healing, immune response, and cancer metastasis. Previous studies have shown that cell adhesion is determined by

the integrin-mediated single molecular force. However, how the subcellular forces between cell and extracellular
matrix determine cell migration remains unclear. Here we present that the single molecular force across integrin

determines the cell motility by regulating integrin expression and molecular force-dependent protein activation. We
control the integrin-mediated single molecular force precisely using double-strand DNA rupture force. Our results

show that cell spreading area decrease as the integrin-mediated single molecular force becomes weak. We note
that phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase which regulated by integrin activation is dependent on integrin-

mediated single molecular force. Ultimately, adhesion-dependent cells display distinct modes of migration in
response to the single molecular force across integrin. By combining subcellular cell mechanics and single molecular

force, we provide a noble insight onto the cellular dynamics in the tissue environment.