Programmed subcellular release for studying the dynamics of cell detachment

Abstract

As cells move over a substrate, they need to first sever their contact with the matrix by detaching focal adhesions. A setup that allows spatially and temporally controlled release of focal adhesions now facilitates the quantitative measurement of cell movement across a substrate. Cell detachment is central to a broad range of physiopathological changes, but there are no quantitative methods to study this process. Here we report programmed subcellular release, a method for spatially and temporally controlled cellular detachment, and present quantitative results of the detachment dynamics of 3T3 fibroblasts at the subcellular level.