Study of Molecular Crowding in Compressed Tissues with Brillouin Light Scattering (CAT#: STEM-ST-0152-YJL)

Introduction

Volume regulation is key in maintaining important tissue functions, such as embryogenesis or wound healing. Perturbation of volume homeostasis, by external forces applied to the tissue or abnormal regulation, has also been associated with the development of degenerative diseases, such as cancer. Coordinated modulation of active contractility, membrane tension, and cell–cell and cell–extracellular matrix junctions are known to drive cell shape and volume. For this reason, a large body of research has been devoted to the implementation of local sensors to monitor stresses or forces in model tissues during hyperosmotic shocks. Such approaches focus on stiffness regulation, but they cannot capture the role of water efflux that changes molecular crowding within individual cells and can impact cell fate and induce cytoplasm phase separation or colloidal glass-like transition.