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Mechanobiology of Disease
Poster Abstracts
77
17-POS
Board 17
AFM based Biomechanical Characterization for Assessment of Cancer Aggressiveness
Debanjan Das
, Anji Anura, Subhayan Das, Soumen Das, Mahitosh Mandal.
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, India.
Biomechanical characterization is one of the potential markers of onset and progression of
cancer and can help for understanding cellular physiology. Therefore, screening the mechanical
properties of healthy and cancer cells having different metastatic potentials offers an important
indicator to determine cancer aggressiveness. In this study, Peak-Force Quantitative
Nanomechanical Atomic Force Microscopy (PF-QNM AFM) has been employed for assessment
of cancer aggressiveness by corroborating with the ultrastructural and nanomechanical properties
of three cell lines with different degrees of malignancy: HaCaT (healthy), MCF-7
(tumorigenic/noninvasive) and MDA-MB-231(tumorigenic/invasive). Structural topography
obtained from AFM reveals that cancer cells are loosely attached to each other with increased
cell-cell junction, higher cellular thickness, membrane roughness and membrane folding as
compared to normal HaCaT cells. The force indentation curve analysis demonstrated reduced
Young's modulus and stiffness for cancer cells (MCF-7: 24.6±2.7kPa, MDA-MB-231:
11.4±3.6kPa) as compared to normal cells (HaCaT: 32.4±4kPa). Altered cellular attachment,
spreading, disorganized actin filaments, etc. may induce softer and deformable cytoskeleton of
MDA-MB-231 resulting to have higher migration and invasion potency. Further evidence of
higher aggressive nature of cancer cells obtained from AFM data shows that migration and
metastatic spreading is correlated with low-adhesion force between AFM tip and surface of cells.
The lower stiffness and reduced adhesion properties of cancer cells could be related to its ability
to grow even in limited anchorage to extra cellular matrix having space constriction and may be
considered as a biomechanical signature for identification of cancer cells. Therefore, the present
nanomechanical profiling by AFM in association with biochemical study will advance in holistic
understanding of complex metastatic process including mechanical compliance, motility, cell–
cell and cell-substrate adhesions.