Quantifying tensile forces at cell-cell junctions with a DNA-based fluorescent probe.

Chemical Science
Bin ZhaoMingxu You

Abstract

Cells are physically contacting with each other. Direct and precise quantification of forces at cell-cell junctions is still challenging. Herein, we have developed a DNA-based ratiometric fluorescent probe, termed DNAMeter, to quantify intercellular tensile forces. These lipid-modified DNAMeters can spontaneously anchor onto live cell membranes. The DNAMeter consists of two self-assembled DNA hairpins of different force tolerance. Once the intercellular tension exceeds the force tolerance to unfold a DNA hairpin, a specific fluorescence signal will be activated, which enables the real-time imaging and quantification of tensile forces. Using E-cadherin-modified DNAMeter as an example, we have demonstrated an approach to quantify, at the molecular level, the magnitude and distribution of E-cadherin tension among epithelial cells. Compatible with readily accessible fluorescence microscopes, these easy-to-use DNA tension probes can be broadly used to quantify mechanotransduction in collective cell behaviors.

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Citations

Jun 25, 2021·Chemical Science·Qian TianMingxu You
Dec 5, 2020·ACS Central Science·Yamuna KrishnanMaulik S Jani
Mar 17, 2021·Trends in Biotechnology·Andreas SchoenitKerstin Göpfrich
Apr 2, 2021·Biophysical Journal·Feyza Nur ArslanCarl-Philipp Heisenberg
Dec 2, 2020·Accounts of Chemical Research·Kewen LeiLi Tang
Sep 10, 2021·Chemical Society Reviews·Jiahao JiHanbin Mao

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
force measurement
transfection
Fluorescence
Fluorescence imaging

Software Mentioned

nqDNAMeter
EC
ProG
- DNAMeter
DNAMeters
DNAMeter
EC22

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