Download or read book Local Mechanical Stimulation Based Approaches for the Study of Cells written by Gabriela López Ayón and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Biology has traditionally focused on chemical cues to understand cell behaviour. New tools allow the influence of mechanical cues to be explored, as well as the mechanical properties of cells to be studied. In this thesis we use local mechanical stimulation techniques that operate at the single cell level to evoke active responses in cells.We combine atomic force microscopy and fluorescence microscopy to investigate mechanotransduction resulting from different levels of microinjury (membrane deformation and membrane penetration) in bone cells, and we use pipette micromanipulation to investigate functional neural growth induced by controlled manipulation of adhesive contacts. We show that bone cell responses to local membrane deformation exhibit threshold properties when micro-injury is induced. We propose mechanisms by which the integrating signal, intracellular Ca2+, increases until it reaches the threshold concentration necessary to induce global response.We have demonstrated for the first time that growth of functional neurites can be induced mechanically. To achieve this we developed and optimised a platform to initiate and elongate central nervous system (CNS) neurites and to precisely connect them to a desired target for assembly of new neuronal networks. We show that the newly extended connections are structurally indistinguishable from those naturally grown and have the capability to transmit an electrical signal. Finally, we speculate how such biophysical methods may contribute to the successful treatment of lesions to the central nervous system, which are presently considered incurable. Our results highlight the importance of mechanical cues in cellular biochemical responses and cell development." --