Key result
A novel FRET-based tension sensor (NMIIB TSMod) successfully measured forces generated by Nonmuscle Myosin IIB in living cells, revealing significant spatial and temporal heterogeneity in cytoskeletal tension.
Why the study?
At present there is no method that can directly measure the forces generated by type II myosins in living cells.
The development of a FRET-based tension sensor for Nonmuscle Myosin IIB enables the direct visualization and measurement of piconewton-scale cytoskeletal forces in living cells.
Facilitates live-cell mapping of myosin tension; leaves open translation to cardiovascular mechanobiology.
Type II myosin motors generate cytoskeletal forces that are central to cell division, embryogenesis, muscle contraction, and many other cellular functions. However, at present there is no method that can directly measure the forces generated by myosins in living cells. Here we describe a Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based tension sensor that can measure forces generated by Nonmuscle Myosin IIB (NMIIB) in living cells with piconewton (pN) sensitivity. Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM)-FRET measurements indicate that the forces generated by NMIIB exhibit significant spatial and temporal heterogeneity, with inferred tensions that vary widely in different regions of the cell. This initial report highlights the potential utility of myosin-based tension sensors in elucidating the roles of cytoskeletal contractility in a wide variety of contexts.
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Hart et al. (2019) studied this question. NMIIB TSMod (FRET-based tension sensor) vs. Control constructs (e.g., mTFP1-NMIIB donor-only) was evaluated on FRET efficiency as a measure of mechanical tension (p=<0.0001). A novel FRET-based tension sensor (NMIIB TSMod) successfully measured forces generated by Nonmuscle Myosin IIB in living cells, revealing significant spatial and temporal heterogeneity in cytoskeletal tension.
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