Plectin affects cell viscoelasticity at small and large deformations.

Plectin is a giant protein of the plakin family that crosslinks the cytoskeleton of mammalian cells. It is expressed in virtually all tissues and its dysfunction is associated with various diseases such as skin blistering. There is evidence that plectin regulates the mechanical integrity of the cytoskeleton in diverse cell and tissue types.

Spontaneous Cell Detachment from Temperature Gradients: Getting the Method Ready for Antimicrobial Drug Testing at Cell Culture Level.

Spontaneous cell detachment describes an effect in which eukaryotic cells first sediment onto a heated chip and then detach from it spontaneously and collectively after a sharply defined dwell time . This behavior is triggered by the temperature gradient between the chip and the colder supernatant liquid. Notably, allows distinguishing between different yeast strains and cancer-cell lines.

Aggregation and disaggregation of red blood cells: Depletion versus bridging.

The aggregation of red blood cells (RBCs) is a complex phenomenon that strongly impacts blood flow and tissue perfusion. Despite extensive research for more than 50 years, physical mechanisms that govern RBC aggregation are still under debate. Two proposed mechanisms are based on bridging and depletion interactions between RBCs due to the presence of macromolecules in blood plasma.

Nanocellulose-collagen composites as advanced biomaterials for 3D in-vitro neuronal model systems.

Studying brain diseases and developing therapies requires versatile in vitro systems for long-term neuronal cultures. SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells are ideal for modeling neurodegenerative diseases. Although SH-SY5Y cells are commonly used in 2D cultures, 3D systems offer more physiologically relevant models.

Imaging with a twist: Three-dimensional insights of the chiral nematic phase of cellulose nanocrystals via SHG microscopy.

Cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are bio-based nanoparticles that, under the right conditions, self-align into chiral nematic liquid crystals with a helical pitch. In this work, we exploit the inherent confocal effect of second-harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy to acquire highly resolved three-dimensional (3D) images of the chiral nematic phase of CNCs in a label-free manner. An in-depth analysis revealed a direct link between the observed variations in SHG intensity and the pitch.