Author: Gilpin, W.; Uppaluri, S.; Brangwynne, C.P.
Description: The mechanical properties of cells and tissues play a well-known role in physiology and disease. The model organism Caenorhabditis elegans exhibits mechanical properties that are still poorly understood, but are thought to be dominated by its collagen-rich outer cuticle. To our knowledge, we use a novel microfluidic technique to reveal that the worm responds linearly to low applied hydrostatic stress, exhibiting a volumetric compression with a bulk modulus, kappa = 140 +/- 20 kPa; applying negative pressures leads to volumetric expansion of the worm, with a similar bulk modulus. Surprisingly, however, we find that a variety of collagen mutants and pharmacological perturbations targeting the cuticle do not impact the bulk modulus. Moreover, the worm exhibits dramatic stiffening at higher stresses-behavior that is also independent of the cuticle. The stress-strain curves for all conditions can be scaled onto a master equation, suggesting that C. elegans exhibits a universal elastic response dominated by the mechanics of pressurized internal organs.
Subject Headings: Animals; Caenorhabditis elegans/metabolism; Collagen/genetics/metabolism; Elasticity; Hydrostatic Pressure; Microfluidics; Mutation; Skin/metabolism
Keywords: Worms under Pressure: Bulk Mechanical Properties of C. elegans Are Independent of the Cuticle
Publication year: 2015
Journal or book title: Biophysical Journal
Volume: 108
Issue: 8
Pages: 1887-1898
Find the full text :Â https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006349515002817
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Type: Journal Article
Serial number: 2527