Distinct mechanical behavior of HEK293 cells in adherent and suspended states

• Published in: PeerJ (San Francisco, CA) Vol. 3; p. e1131
• Main Authors: Haghparast, Seyed Mohammad Ali, Kihara, Takanori, Miyake, Jun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States PeerJ. Ltd 30.07.2015; PeerJ, Inc; PeerJ Inc
• Subjects: Actin; Actin cytoskeleton; Adherent state; Atomic force microscopy; Bioengineering; Biology; Biotechnology; Cancer; Cell adhesion & migration; Cell Biology; Cell culture; Cell surface; Cells (Biology); Cytoskeleton; Depolymerization; Fibroblasts; HEK293 cells; Hypertension; Kinases; Mechanical features; Mechanical properties; Mechanics; Microscopy; Morphogenesis; Muscle proteins; Phosphorylation; Stem cells; Stromal cells; Suspended state; Viscoelasticity; Japan; Adherent state; Atomic force microscopy; Mechanical features; Suspended state; HEK293 cells; Actin cytoskeleton
• ISSN: 2167-8359; 2167-8359
• DOI: 10.7717/peerj.1131

The mechanical features of individual animal cells have been regarded as indicators of cell type and state. Previously, we investigated the surface mechanics of cancer and normal stromal cells in adherent and suspended states using atomic force microscopy. Cancer cells possessed specific mechanical and actin cytoskeleton features that were distinct from normal stromal cells in adherent and suspended states. In this paper, we report the unique mechanical and actin cytoskeletal features of human embryonic kidney HEK293 cells. Unlike normal stromal and cancer cells, the surface stiffness of adherent HEK293 cells was very low, but increased after cell detachment from the culture surface. Induced actin filament depolymerization revealed that the actin cytoskeleton was the underlying source of the stiffness in suspended HEK293 cells. The exclusive mechanical response of HEK293 cells to perturbation of the actin cytoskeleton resembled that of adherent cancer cells and suspended normal stromal cells. Thus, with respect to their special cell-surface mechanical features, HEK293 cells could be categorized into a new class distinct from normal stromal and cancer cells.