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Critical stresses for cancer cell detachment in microchannels

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Abstract

We present experiments involving cancer cells adhering to microchannels, subjected to increasing shear stresses (0.1–30 Pa). Morphological studies were carried out at different shear stresses. Cells exhibit spreading patterns similar to those observed under static conditions, as long as the shear stress is not too high. At critical wall shear stresses (around 2−5 Pa), cell-substrate contact area decreases until detachment at the larger stresses. Critical shear stresses are found to be lower for higher confinements (i.e. smaller cell height to channel height ratio). Fluorescent techniques were used to locate focal adhesions (typically 1 μm2 in size) under various shearing conditions, showing that cells increase the number of focal contacts in the region facing the flow. To analyze such data, we propose a model to determine the critical stress, resulting from the competition between hydrodynamic forces and the adhesive cell resistance. With this model, typical adhesive stresses exerted at each focal contact can be determined and are in agreement with previous works.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the European Commission Marie Curie Research Training Network MRTN-CT-2004-503661 “Modeling, mathematical methods and computer simulation of tumor growth and therapy” for its support. Image acquisition was performed using the microscopy facility at the “Institut Albert Bonniot”. This equipment was partly funded by “Association pour la Recherche sur le Cancer” (Villejuif, France) and the “Nanobio program”. We are also thankful to V. M. Laurent for helpful discussions and reading of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Spectrométrie Physique (UMR 5588), CNRS, Université Grenoble I, 140 avenue de la physique, BP 87, 38402, Saint-Martin d’Hères cedex, France

    Cécile Couzon & Claude Verdier

  2. INSERM U823, Rond-point de la Chantourne, 38706, La Tronche cedex, France

    Alain Duperray

  3. Faculté de Médecine, Institut d’oncologie/développement Albert Bonniot et Institut Français du Sang (UMR S823), Université Joseph Fourier-Grenoble I, Grenoble, France

    Alain Duperray

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  1. Cécile Couzon
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  2. Alain Duperray
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  3. Claude Verdier
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Correspondence to Claude Verdier.

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Couzon, C., Duperray, A. & Verdier, C. Critical stresses for cancer cell detachment in microchannels. Eur Biophys J 38, 1035–1047 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00249-009-0506-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00249-009-0506-1

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