Fig. 8.

Physical and molecular mechanisms governing bimodal sensing of contact guidance cues in carcinoma cells. a–c Summary of the bimodal cellular guidance sensing response for a control conditions, b disruption of microtubules, and c Arp2/3 and FAK inhibition, respectively, demonstrating a bimodal response for sensing guidance cues that depends on the magnitude of cell traction forces and two parallel contractile force-dependent mechanisms where FAK regulates the response in contractile cells and Arp2/3 regulates sensing in the low-traction state. The corresponding n values for a–c are shown in Supplementary Figure 10b. d Model of the carcinoma cell-sensing response in the contractile elastic state and the more fluidic-like, low-traction dendritic state where protrusive forces from branched actin network dynamics drive adhesion-directed sensing of guidance cues. Number of replicates (independent experiments) for all measurement N = 5. Data are mean ± s.d., ns: no significant difference between groups, *p < 0.05, **p < 0.001 (ANOVA). See also Supplementary Figure 10b for the raw data of population-wide individual cell spreading length measurements compiled into distribution diagrams