Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Mechanical force is a fundamental regulator of cell phenotype. Myofibroblasts are central mediators of fibrosis, a major unmet clinical need characterized by the deposition of excessive matrix proteins. Traction forces of myofibroblasts play a key role in remodelling the matrix and modulates the activities of embedded stromal cells. Here, we employ a combination of unsupervised computational analysis, cytoskeletal profiling and single cell traction force microscopy as functional readout to uncover how the complex spatiotemporal dynamics and mechanics of living human myofibroblast shape sub-cellular profiling of traction forces in fibrosis. We resolve distinct biophysical communities of myofibroblasts, and our results provide a new paradigm for studying functional heterogeneity in human stromal cells.

Original publication

DOI

10.1242/bio.049809

Type

Journal article

Journal

Biol Open

Publication Date

01/01/2020

Keywords

Focal adhesion, Myofibroblast, Single cell, Traction force