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Lecture

Mechanobiology of Cell Growth

In course

ME-480: Mechanobiology: how mechanics regulate life

The objective of this course is to expose students to the fundamentals of mechanobiology. We will highlight the technologies that enable the study of living systems including mechanical manipulation and characterization, along with computational modeling f ...

Description

This lecture explores the mechanobiology of cell growth, focusing on the essential components of mechanobiology, such as cantilever properties, force curve-based sample characterization, force spectroscopy, and cell-cell adhesion. It delves into imaging modes, high-resolution imaging techniques, key inventions in atomic force microscopy, and biophysical aspects of cell separation in Mycobacterium smegmatis. The lecture also covers the role of mechanical forces in cell separation, stress modulation mediated by cell wall digesting enzymes, and the impact of turgor pressure on growth. Additionally, it discusses the bacterial cell wall architecture, growth strategies of bacterial, yeast, and plant cells, osmotic pressure, and the estimation of osmotic pressure. The mechanisms of tension-dependent growth and mechanical feedback in regulating plant growth are also examined.

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Instructors (2)

Alexandre Louis André Persat

Mahmut Selman Sakar

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Related concepts (32)

Cell (biology)

The cell is the basic structural and functional unit of all forms of life. Every cell consists of cytoplasm enclosed within a membrane, and contains many macromolecules such as proteins, DNA and RNA, as well as many small molecules of nutrients and metabolites. The term comes from the Latin word cellula meaning 'small room'. Cells can acquire specified function and carry out various tasks within the cell such as replication, DNA repair, protein synthesis, and motility. Cells are capable of specialization and mobility within the cell.

Cell wall

A cell wall is a structural layer surrounding some types of cells, just outside the cell membrane. It can be tough, flexible, and sometimes rigid. It provides the cell with both structural support and protection, and also acts as a filtering mechanism. Cell walls are absent in many eukaryotes, including animals, but are present in some other ones like fungi, algae and plants, and in most prokaryotes (except mollicute bacteria). A major function is to act as pressure vessels, preventing over-expansion of the cell when water enters.

Bacterial cell structure

The bacterium, despite its simplicity, contains a well-developed cell structure which is responsible for some of its unique biological structures and pathogenicity. Many structural features are unique to bacteria and are not found among archaea or eukaryotes. Because of the simplicity of bacteria relative to larger organisms and the ease with which they can be manipulated experimentally, the cell structure of bacteria has been well studied, revealing many biochemical principles that have been subsequently applied to other organisms.

Cell adhesion

Cell adhesion is the process by which cells interact and attach to neighbouring cells through specialised molecules of the cell surface. This process can occur either through direct contact between cell surfaces such as cell junctions or indirect interaction, where cells attach to surrounding extracellular matrix, a gel-like structure containing molecules released by cells into spaces between them. Cells adhesion occurs from the interactions between cell-adhesion molecules (CAMs), transmembrane proteins located on the cell surface.

Bacteria

Bacteria (bækˈtɪəriə; : bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among the first life forms to appear on Earth, and are present in most of its habitats. Bacteria inhabit soil, water, acidic hot springs, radioactive waste, and the deep biosphere of Earth's crust. Bacteria play a vital role in many stages of the nutrient cycle by recycling nutrients and the fixation of nitrogen from the atmosphere.

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