Exploring cell and tissue mechanics with optical tweezers

Rapid propagation of membrane tension at retinal bipolar neuron presynaptic terminals

(2022) Carolina Gomis Perez et al.   Science Advances

Foregut organ progenitors and their niche display distinct viscoelastic properties in vivo during early morphogenesis stages

(2022) Aliaksandr Dzementsei et al.   Communications Biology

Mechanosensitive body–brain interactions in Caenorhabditis elegans

(2022) Michael Krieg et al.   CURRENT OPINION IN NEUROBIOLOGY

Basement membrane stiffness determines metastases formation

(2021) Raphael Reuten et al.   NATURE MATERIALS

Anomalous collapses of Nares Strait ice arches leads to enhanced export of Arctic sea ice

(2021) G. W. K. Moore et al.   Nature Communications

Endocytosis against high turgor pressure is made easier by partial protein coating and a freely rotating base

(2021) Rui Ma et al.   BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL

Optical tweezers beyond refractive index mismatch using highly doped upconversion nanoparticles

(2021) Xuchen Shan et al.   Nature Nanotechnology

Germanium nanospheres for ultraresolution picotensiometry of kinesin motors

(2021) Swathi Sudhakar et al.   SCIENCE

Positioning Accuracy in Holographic Optical Traps

(2021) Frederic Català-Castro et al.   Micromachines

Components and Mechanisms of Nuclear Mechanotransduction

(2021) Philipp Niethammer   Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology

Multiscale rheology of glioma cells

(2021) Charlotte Alibert et al.   BIOMATERIALS

Using blinking optical tweezers to study cell rheology during initial cell-particle contact

(2021) Konrad Berghoff et al.   BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL

The force loading rate drives cell mechanosensing through both reinforcement and cytoskeletal softening

(2021) Ion Andreu et al.   Nature Communications

Rapid mechanical stimulation of inner-ear hair cells by photonic pressure

(2021) Sanjeewa Abeytunge et al.   eLife

Direct Force Measurements of Subcellular Mechanics in Confinement using Optical Tweezers

(2021) Frederic Català-Castro et al.   Jove-Journal of Visualized Experiments

An asymmetric mechanical code ciphers curvature-dependent proprioceptor activity

(2021) Ravi Das et al.   Science Advances

Nuclear deformations, from signaling to perturbation and damage

(2021) Guilherme Pedreira de Freitas Nader et al.   CURRENT OPINION IN CELL BIOLOGY

Forces generated by lamellipodial actin filament elongation regulate the WAVE complex during cell migration

(2021) Amine Mehidi et al.   NATURE CELL BIOLOGY

Intracellular softening and increased viscoelastic fluidity during division

(2021) Sebastian Hurst et al.   Nature Physics

Programmable viscoelasticity in protein-RNA condensates with disordered sticker-spacer polypeptides

(2021) Ibraheem Alshareedah et al.   Nature Communications

Measurement of junctional tension in epithelial cells at the onset of primitive streak formation in the chick embryo via non-destructive optical manipulation

(2020) Valentina Ferro et al.   DEVELOPMENT

A unified rheological model for cells and cellularised materials

(2020) A. Bonfanti et al.   Royal Society Open Science

Membrane tension buffering by caveolae: a role in cancer?

(2020) Vibha Singh et al.   CANCER AND METASTASIS REVIEWS

Does protein unfolding play a functional role in vivo?

(2020) Sabita Sharma et al.   FEBS Journal

Biomolecular condensates undergo a generic shear-mediated liquid-to-solid transition

(2020) Yi Shen et al.   Nature Nanotechnology

Red blood cell tension protects against severe malaria in the Dantu blood group

(2020) Silvia N. Kariuki et al.   NATURE

Micromanipulation of amyloplasts with optical tweezers in Arabidopsis stems

(2020) Yoshinori Abe et al.   Plant Biotechnology

Protein condensates as aging Maxwell fluids

(2020) Louise Jawerth et al.   SCIENCE

Optical Tweezers: A Comprehensive Tutorial from Calibration to Applications

(2020) Jan Gieseler et al.   Advances in Optics and Photonics

Probing Ligand-Receptor Interaction in Living Cells Using Force Measurements With Optical Tweezers

(2020) Carolin Riesenberg et al.   Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology

Stress relaxation in epithelial monolayers is controlled by the actomyosin cortex

(2019) Nargess Khalilgharibi et al.   Nature Physics

Optical Tweezers Microrheology Maps the Dynamics of Strain-Induced Local Inhomogeneities in Entangled Polymers

(2019) Manas Khan et al.   PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS

High-frequency microrheology in 3D reveals mismatch between cytoskeletal and extracellular matrix mechanics

(2019) Jack R. Staunton et al.   PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Anisotropy vs isotropy in living cell indentation with AFM

(2019) Yuri M. Efremov et al.   Scientific Reports

High stretchability, strength, and toughness of living cells enabled by hyperelastic vimentin intermediate filaments

(2019) Jiliang Hu et al.   PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Microrheology with optical tweezers: peaks & troughs

(2019) Manlio Tassieri   CURRENT OPINION IN COLLOID & INTERFACE SCIENCE

Role of a Kinesin Motor in Cancer Cell Mechanics

(2019) Kalpana Mandal et al.   NANO LETTERS

Cell swelling, softening and invasion in a three-dimensional breast cancer model

(2019) Yu Long Han et al.   Nature Physics

Do Cell Membranes Flow Like Honey or Jiggle Like Jello?

(2019) Adam E. Cohen et al.   BIOESSAYS

Active and Passive Microrheology: Theory and Simulation

(2018) Roseanna N. Zia   Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics

Active Mechanics Reveal Molecular-Scale Force Kinetics in Living Oocytes

(2018) Wylie W. Ahmed et al.   BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL

A comparison of methods to assess cell mechanical properties

(2018) Pei-Hsun Wu et al.   NATURE METHODS

Electro-optic deflectors deliver advantages over acousto-optical deflectors in a high resolution, ultra-fast force-clamp optical trap

(2018) Michael S. Woody et al.   OPTICS EXPRESS

Bioconjugated Core-Shell Microparticles for High-Force Optical Trapping

(2018) Juan Carlos Cordova et al.   PARTICLE & PARTICLE SYSTEMS CHARACTERIZATION

Cell contraction induces long-ranged stress stiffening in the extracellular matrix

(2018) Yu Long Han et al.   PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Mechanical hysteresis in actin networks

(2018) Sayantan Majumdar et al.   Soft Matter

Cell Mechanotransduction With Piconewton Forces Applied by Optical Tweezers

(2018) Fabio Falleroni et al.   Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience

Lessons from optical tweezers: quantifying organelle interactions, dynamics and modelling subcellular events

(2018) Imogen Sparkes   CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY

Cancer cells’ ability to mechanically adjust to extracellular matrix stiffness correlates with their invasive potential

(2018) Lena Wullkopf et al.   MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF THE CELL

Calibration of force detection for arbitrarily shaped particles in optical tweezers

(2018) Ann A. M. Bui et al.   Scientific Reports

Cell Membranes Resist Flow

(2018) Zheng Shi et al.   CELL

Cellular-Resolution Imaging of Vestibular Processing across the Larval Zebrafish Brain

(2018) Itia A. Favre-Bulle et al.   CURRENT BIOLOGY

Mechanical forces on cellular organelles

(2018) Qian Feng et al.   JOURNAL OF CELL SCIENCE

Active superelasticity in three-dimensional epithelia of controlled shape

(2018) Ernest Latorre et al.   NATURE

Salt-Dependent Rheology and Surface Tension of Protein Condensates Using Optical Traps

(2018) Louise M. Jawerth et al.   PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS

Probing Cell Mechanics with Bead-Free Optical Tweezers in the Drosophila Embryo

(2018) Claire Chardès et al.   Jove-Journal of Visualized Experiments

Cell membrane biophysics with optical tweezers

(2017) H. Moysés Nussenzveig   EUROPEAN BIOPHYSICS JOURNAL WITH BIOPHYSICS LETTERS

Visual guide to optical tweezers

(2017) Isaac C D Lenton et al.   EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICS

Holographic optical tweezers-based in vivo manipulations in zebrafish embryos

(2017) Florian Hörner et al.   Journal of Biophotonics

Stacks off tracks: a role for the golgin AtCASP in plant endoplasmic reticulum-Golgi apparatus tethering

(2017) Anne Osterrieder et al.   JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY

Hemodynamic forces can be accurately measured in vivo with optical tweezers

(2017) Sébastien Harlepp et al.   MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF THE CELL

Quantifying forces in cell biology

(2017) Pere Roca-Cusachs et al.   NATURE CELL BIOLOGY

In situ calibration of position detection in an optical trap for active microrheology in viscous materials

(2017) Jack R. Staunton et al.   OPTICS EXPRESS

Size- and speed-dependent mechanical behavior in living mammalian cytoplasm

(2017) Jiliang Hu et al.   PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Cell volume change through water efflux impacts cell stiffness and stem cell fate

(2017) Ming Guo et al.   PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

In situ click chemistry generation of cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors

(2017) Atul Bhardwaj et al.   Nature Communications

A tunable refractive index matching medium for live imaging cells, tissues and model organisms

(2017) Tobias Boothe et al.   eLife

Ror2 signaling regulates Golgi structure and transport through IFT20 for tumor invasiveness

(2017) Michiru Nishita et al.   Scientific Reports

Influence of experimental parameters on the laser heating of an optical trap

(2017) Frederic Català et al.   Scientific Reports

In vivo tissue has non-linear rheological behavior distinct from 3D biomimetic hydrogels, as determined by AMOTIV microscopy

(2016) Benjamin H. Blehm et al.   BIOMATERIALS

Mechanical Properties of the Tumor Stromal Microenvironment Probed In Vitro and Ex Vivo by In Situ-Calibrated Optical Trap-Based Active Microrheology

(2016) Jack R. Staunton et al.   Cellular and Molecular Bioengineering

Cell nuclei have lower refractive index and mass density than cytoplasm

(2016) Mirjam Schürmann et al.   Journal of Biophotonics

i-Rheo: Measuring the materials' linear viscoelastic properties “in a step”!

(2016) Manlio Tassieri et al.   JOURNAL OF RHEOLOGY

Equilibrium physics breakdown reveals the active nature of red blood cell flickering

(2016) H. Turlier et al.   Nature Physics

Mapping intracellular mechanics on micropatterned substrates

(2016) Kalpana Mandal et al.   PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Direct observation of transition paths during the folding of proteins and nucleic acids

(2016) K. Neupane et al.   SCIENCE

Fluctuations of a membrane nanotube revealed by high-resolution force measurements

(2016) F. Valentino et al.   Soft Matter

Optical micromanipulation of nanoparticles and cells inside living zebrafish

(2016) Patrick Lie Johansen et al.   Nature Communications

Rheological properties of cells measured by optical tweezers

(2016) Yareni A. Ayala et al.   BMC Biophysics

Dynamics of Membrane Tethers Reveal Novel Aspects of Cytoskeleton-Membrane Interactions in Axons

(2015) Anagha Datar et al.   BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL

Front-to-Rear Membrane Tension Gradient in Rapidly Moving Cells

(2015) Arnon D. Lieber et al.   BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL

Enhanced optical trapping via structured scattering

(2015) Michael A. Taylor et al.   Nature Photonics

In Vivo Quantification of Peroxisome Tethering to Chloroplasts in Tobacco Epidermal Cells Using Optical Tweezers

(2015) Hongbo Gao et al.   PLANT PHYSIOLOGY

Direct laser manipulation reveals the mechanics of cell contacts in vivo

(2015) Kapil Bambardekar et al.   PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Camera-based three-dimensional real-time particle tracking at kHz rates and Ångström accuracy

(2015) Alexander Huhle et al.   Nature Communications

Intrinsic heating in optically trapped Au nanoparticles measured by dark-field spectroscopy

(2015) Ana Andres-Arroyo et al.   Biomedical Optics Express

Distinct mechanisms regulating mechanical force-induced Ca2+ signals at the plasma membrane and the ER in human MSCs

(2015) Tae-Jin Kim et al.   eLife

Probing the Stochastic, Motor-Driven Properties of the Cytoplasm Using Force Spectrum Microscopy

(2014) Ming Guo et al.   CELL

The WAVE Regulatory Complex Links Diverse Receptors to the Actin Cytoskeleton

(2014) Baoyu Chen et al.   CELL

Mechanical Role of Actin Dynamics in the Rheology of the Golgi Complex and in Golgi-Associated Trafficking Events

(2014) David Guet et al.   CURRENT BIOLOGY

Emergent mechanics of biological structures

(2014) Sophie Dumont et al.   MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF THE CELL

Absolute calibration of forces in optical tweezers

(2014) R. S. Dutra et al.   PHYSICAL REVIEW A

Helical buckling of actin inside filopodia generates traction

(2014) Natascha Leijnse et al.   PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Artificially-induced organelles are optimal targets for optical trapping experiments in living cells

(2014) C. López-Quesada et al.   Biomedical Optics Express

Contractile Fibers and Catch-Bond Clusters: a Biological Force Sensor?

(2013) Elizaveta A. Novikova et al.   BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL

The Role of Vimentin Intermediate Filaments in Cortical and Cytoplasmic Mechanics

(2013) Ming Guo et al.   BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL

Molecular Adaptations Allow Dynein to Generate Large Collective Forces inside Cells

(2013) Arpan K. Rai et al.   CELL

Plasma membrane tension orchestrates membrane trafficking, cytoskeletal remodeling, and biochemical signaling during phagocytosis

(2013) T. A. Masters et al.   PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

In vivo optical trapping indicates kinesin’s stall force is reduced by dynein during intracellular transport

(2013) Benjamin H. Blehm et al.   PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Genomic deletions disrupt nitrogen metabolism pathways of a cyanobacterial diatom symbiont

(2013) Jason A. Hilton et al.   Nature Communications

Membrane Tension Maintains Cell Polarity by Confining Signals to the Leading Edge during Neutrophil Migration

(2012) Andrew R. Houk et al.   CELL

Notch Ligand Endocytosis Generates Mechanical Pulling Force Dependent on Dynamin, Epsins, and Actin

(2012) Laurence Meloty-Kapella et al.   DEVELOPMENTAL CELL

Quantitative optical trapping on single organelles in cell extract

(2012) Pradeep Barak et al.   NATURE METHODS

Nanonewton optical force trap employing anti-reflection coated, high-refractive-index titania microspheres

(2012) Anita Jannasch et al.   Nature Photonics

Optimized back-focal-plane interferometry directly measures forces of optically trapped particles

(2012) Arnau Farré et al.   OPTICS EXPRESS

Viscoelastic Properties of Differentiating Blood Cells Are Fate- and Function-Dependent

(2012) Andrew E. Ekpenyong et al.   PLoS One

Force measurements on cargoes in living cells reveal collective dynamics of microtubule motors

(2012) A. G. Hendricks et al.   PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Ideal, catch, and slip bonds in cadherin adhesion

(2012) S. Rakshit et al.   PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Cells Respond to Mechanical Stress by Rapid Disassembly of Caveolae

(2011) Bidisha Sinha et al.   CELL

Under-filling trapping objectives optimizes the use of the available laser power in optical tweezers

(2011) Mohammed Mahamdeh et al.   OPTICS EXPRESS

Inertial Effects of a Small Brownian Particle Cause a Colored Power Spectral Density of Thermal Noise

(2011) Anita Jannasch et al.   PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS

A force detection technique for single-beam optical traps based on direct measurement of light momentum changes

(2010) Arnau Farré et al.   OPTICS EXPRESS

Molecular origin of strain softening in cross-linked F-actin networks

(2010) Hyungsuk Lee et al.   PHYSICAL REVIEW E

Rheology of Soft Materials

(2010) Daniel T.N. Chen et al.   Annual Review of Condensed Matter Physics

Sorting of Lipids and Proteins in Membrane Curvature Gradients

(2009) A. Tian et al.   BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL

Probing Dynein and Kinesin Stepping with Mechanical Manipulation in a Living Cell

(2009) Peter A. Sims et al.   CHEMPHYSCHEM

Multiplexed force measurements on live cells with holographic optical tweezers

(2009) Cecile O. Mejean et al.   OPTICS EXPRESS

Optical tweezers with millikelvin precision of temperature-controlled objectives and base-pair resolution

(2009) Mohammed Mahamdeh et al.   OPTICS EXPRESS

Statolith Sedimentation Kinetics and Force Transduction to the Cortical Endoplasmic Reticulum in Gravity-Sensing Arabidopsis Columella Cells

(2009) G. Leitz et al.   PLANT CELL

Protein Friction Limits Diffusive and Directed Movements of Kinesin Motors on Microtubules

(2009) V. Bormuth et al.   SCIENCE

Consequences of Motor Copy Number on the Intracellular Transport of Kinesin-1-Driven Lipid Droplets

(2008) George T. Shubeita et al.   CELL

Actin stress fibers transmit and focus force to activate mechanosensitive channels

(2008) Kimihide Hayakawa et al.   JOURNAL OF CELL SCIENCE

Active and Passive Microrheology in Equilibrium and Nonequilibrium Systems

(2008) D. Mizuno et al.   MACROMOLECULES

Optical trapping of coated microspheres

(2008) Volker Bormuth et al.   OPTICS EXPRESS

Precision steering of an optical trap by electro-optic deflection

(2008) Megan T. Valentine et al.   OPTICS LETTERS