Dresden 2026 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 7: Poster Session I

BP 7.46: Poster

Monday, March 9, 2026, 15:00–17:00, P5

Characterizing the Effective Membrane Tension Response to Substrate Stiffness Using AFM and Optical Tweezers — •Tina Borić^{1, 2}, Maria Villamarin^{1, 2}, Julia Butzke^{1, 2}, Eva Kreysing⁴, and Kristian Franze^{1, 2, 3} — ¹Max-Planck-Zentrum für Physik und Medizin, Erlangen, Germany — ²Friedrich-Alexander-Universität, Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany — ³Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK — ⁴University of Warwick, Coventry, UK

Cellular membranes change their physical properties in response to mechanical stimuli, such as changes in tissue stiffness. Membrane tension transduces these mechanical signals into intracellular responses via mechanosensitive ion channels. However, how and if a change in tissue stiffness affects the surface mechanics of the cell, which in turn would contribute to the activation of mechanosensitive ion channels, is not yet known. To investigate the dependence of the effective membrane tension on substrate stiffness, we culture HEK293T cells and hippocampal neurons on custom made compliant substrates, and measure tether forces using optical tweezers and AFM. Furthermore, we use pharmacological treatments that primarily affect the actin cortex and membrane composition to characterize their contributions to the effective membrane tension. Ultimately, our aim is to understand how stiffness induced changes in membrane tension lead to the activation of the mechanosensitive ion channel Piezo1. Our work will contribute to the understanding of how mechanosensitive ion channels are gated, which may have important implications for drug design in the future.

Keywords: Membrane tension; Optical Tweezers; Cytoskeleton; AFM; Compliant substrates