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Originally published as MBC in Press, 10.1091/mbc.E04-03-0218 on May 14, 2004

Vol. 15, Issue 7, 3475-3484, July 2004

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Rho Kinase Regulates the Intracellular Micromechanical Response of Adherent Cells to Rho Activation

Thomas P. Kole *, Yiider Tseng * {ddagger}, Lawrence Huang {dagger}, Joseph L. Katz *, and Denis Wirtz * § {ddagger}

* Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218; {dagger} Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218; and § Graduate Program in Molecular Biophysics, The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland 21218

Submitted March 15, 2004; Revised April 16, 2004; Accepted May 3, 2004
Monitoring Editor: Paul Matsudaira

Local sol-gel transitions of the cytoskeleton modulate cell shape changes, which are required for essential cellular functions, including motility and adhesion. In vitro studies using purified cytoskeletal proteins have suggested molecular mechanisms of regulation of cytoskeleton mechanics; however, the mechanical behavior of living cells and the signaling pathways by which it is regulated remains largely unknown. To address this issue, we used a nanoscale sensing method, intracellular microrheology, to examine the mechanical response of the cell to activation of the small GTPase Rho. We observe that the cytoplasmic stiffness and viscosity of serum-starved Swiss 3T3 cells transiently and locally enhances upon treatment with lysophosphatidic acid, and this mechanical behavior follows a trend similar to Rho activity. Furthermore, the time-dependent activation of Rho decreases the degree of microheterogeneity of the cytoplasm. Our results reveal fundamental differences between intracellular elasticity and cellular tension and suggest a critical role for Rho kinase in the regulation of intracellular mechanics.

Article published online ahead of print. Mol. Biol. Cell 10.1091/mbc.E04-03-0218. Article and publication date are available at www.molbiolcell.org/cgi/doi/10.1091/mbc.E04-03-0218.

{ddagger} Corresponding authors. E-mail address: wirtz{at}jhu.edu and yiider{at}jhu.edu.




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