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Quantitative and Multiplexed Fluorescence Lifetime Imaging of Intercellular Tensile Forces
Author(s) -
Keshri Puspam,
Zhao Bin,
Xie Tianfa,
Bagheri Yousef,
Chambers James,
Sun Yubing,
You Mingxu
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.202103986
Subject(s) - intracellular , cadherin , tension (geology) , modular design , biophysics , live cell imaging , fluorescence , chemistry , ultimate tensile strength , cell , nanoscopic scale , fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy , mesenchymal stem cell , materials science , microbiology and biotechnology , nanotechnology , optics , computer science , biology , physics , composite material , biochemistry , operating system
Mechanical interactions between cells have been shown to play critical roles in regulating cell signaling and communications. However, the precise measurement of intercellular forces is still quite challenging, especially considering the complex environment at cell–cell junctions. In this study, we report a fluorescence lifetime‐based approach to image and quantify intercellular molecular tensions. Using this method, tensile forces among multiple ligand–receptor pairs can be measured simultaneously. We first validated our approach and developed lifetime measurement‐based DNA tension probes to image E‐cadherin‐mediated tension on epithelial cells. These probes were then further applied to quantify the correlations between E‐cadherin and N‐cadherin tensions during an epithelial–mesenchymal transition process. The modular design of these probes can potentially be used to study the mechanical features of various physiological and pathological processes.