Figure 4. Cell motility device for investigating the effects of shearotactic signals on cell migration.

(A) Schematic of the microfluidic device. The external flow circuit comprising the syringe pump—temporally controlling the shearotactic signal—is not represented but is connected to the inlet and outlet of the microfluidic channel. (B) Multiply seeded vegetative unpolarized Dd cells in their initial position with their respective single-cell centroid trajectories superimposed; the flow is towards the right with a shear stress of 0.18 Pa and a soluble calcium concentration of 3 mM. (C) Close-up of a single vegetative Dd cell with its detected boundary used to determine the cell's centroid. For each shear stress levels and calcium concentrations considered, a large number of cells are analyzed (Fig. S1), providing statistically relevant data.