Figure 2.

(A) A schematic representation of dual pipette aspiration (DPA) is shown. Applied detachment forces, F₁ + F₂, on suspended cells with a given viscoelasticity (viscosity, η, and Young’s modulus, E) forming a contact, where E-cadherin and actin accumulate at the contact rim. (B) Radius, R, and the cortex thickness, t_C, define the cortical tensions, γ₁ and γ₂, of the connected cells. For γ₁ = γ₂ = γ, cortical tensions at the contact-free area are counteracted by the interfacial tension, γ_IT = 2 × γ × cos(θ), at the cell-cell adhesion area, A_CC. The interfacial tension, γ_IT, is determined by the difference in magnitude between the cortical tension of both cells at the cell-cell interface, 2^∗γ_CC, and the adhesion tension, γ_A, acting in antiparallel directions. The cortical tension is in balance with the internal cellular pressure, P.