Figure 2:

The first seminal method to study cellular forces involved silicone wrinkling. (A) Cells were seeded on a polysiloxane fluid that was briefly exposed to a flame to crosslink a thin surface. Cellular forces deformed the membrane and caused to buckle or wrinkle. (B) Wrinkles in the silicone membrane can be visualized under light microscopy. (C) When used in conjunction with fluorescent microscopy, the magnitude of cellular forces can be correlated with the expression of biomarkers. For example, a fibroblast that is positive for α-smooth muscle actin (SMA) (yellow) create cellular forces that produce visible wrinkles, unlike those that are negative for α-SMA (green). B and C are adapted under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported.^[14] Copyright 2001, The American Society for Cell Biology.