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Passive and active mechanical properties of muscle cells. Role of desmin intermediate filament.
The mechanical interactions of living systems with their environment play a central role both in healthy and pathological contexts. For instance, organs can feel and respond to the mechanical properties of their surroundings. This is particularly obvious for muscles. I will present our measurements of the mechanical properties of pre-muscular cells, as well as their ability to develop forces, and their answer to the application of a controlled mechanical stress, as obtained by different custom-designed micromechanical devices. Finally, while both passive and active mechanical properties of cells are known to mostly rely on the actin cytoskeleton, I will present our recent results on the unexpected role in muscle cells contractility of desmin, the intermediate filament characteristic of the muscle.