DNA mechanotechnology and high-resolution imaging of cellular mechanical forces

Abstract

Cells in our body are continuously exposed to various mechanical forces. Almost all cells sense and respond to such forces, which deeply related to development, homeostasis, and diseases. These forces are dynamic and temporally and spatially coordinated forces are significant. However, due to the limited tools for visualizing force applied to cells, it is hard to precisely measure various force signals such as magnitude, orientation, and temporally and spatially changing values like frequency and fluctuation. Therefore, the question of what type of force signals cells detect with sensitivity and respond to in each context remains elusive. Herein we present our DNA mechanotechnology to dissect mechanical force applied to cells with high sensitivity.