Effects of the Initial Alignment and Passive Reorientation of Actin Fibers on the Tensile Stiffness of Whole Cells Available to Purchase

Actin filaments are known to be concerned with cell stiffness and shape stability of cells. Structurally, actin filaments are classified into two. One is a cortical actin network beneath cell membrane and the other is actin fibers (AFs) which run transversely within a cell. Reportedly, skewed alignment of AFs induces anisotropic deformation of a cell [1]. Therefore, it is important to understand how the alignments of AFs are reflected in the mechanical properties of a cell.