A Bayesian method was developed and validated to convert noisy measurements of substratum displacement into images of the actual traction forces exerted by adherent or locomoting cells.
Describes a mathematical and statistical framework for calculating cellular traction forces from elastic substratum displacements.
The cytoskeletal activity of motile or adherent cells is frequently seen to induce detectable displacements of sufficiently compliant substrata. The physics of this phenomenon is discussed in terms of the classical theory of small-strain, plane-stress elasticity. The main results of such analysis is a transform expressing the displacement field of the elastic substrate as an integral over the traction field. The existence of this transform is used to derive a Bayesian method for converting noisy measurements of substratum displacement into "images" of the actual traction forces exerted by adherent or locomoting cells. Finally, the Monte Carlo validation of the statistical method is discussed, some new rheological studies of films are presented, and a practical application is given.
Dembo et al. (1996) studied this question. Bayesian method for imaging traction stresses was evaluated. A Bayesian method was developed and validated to convert noisy measurements of substratum displacement into images of the actual traction forces exerted by adherent or locomoting cells.