Figure 3. Microtubules are not essential for resisting deformation. (A) Deformation: height ratios over time comparing untreated HeLa (black) to cells treated with Nocodazole (red). Cells were treated with 10mM Noco for 15 min prior to experimentation. Although the average creeping deformation increased from d/h_o = 0.54 for untreated HeLas (n = 26) to d/h_o = 0.61 for Noco-treated cells (n = 10) at t = 10 min of deformation, the increase was insignificant (p > 0.17). This result suggests that the actin network, particularly the cortex, is the key influential cytoskeletal network responsible for the resistance to deformation. Error bars shown are standard error. (B) Immunofluorescent images comparing untreated HeLa to those treated with Noco. Treatment with Noco disrupts the MTs, while leaving the actin network intact. Red: Alexa fluor 564 (actin), Green: Phalloidin (MTs), Blue: Dapi (DNA). Scale bars are 10μm.