2011 Volume 51 Issue 1 Pages 014-017
Cells actively probe mechanical properties of their enviroment by exerting internally generated forces. The response they encounter profoundly affects their behavior. Here we measure in a simple geometry the force a cell exerts suspended by two optical traps. Our assay quantifies both the overall force and the fraction of that force transmitted to the enviroment. We found that the force transmission is highly dependent on the ratio between internal and extrernal compliance. Since the transmitted force is detected at the mechano-sensor located at cell membrane, our results suggest cells measure the mechanical properties of their environments using their own stiffness as a standard.
