The shape that stem cells reach at the end of adhesion
process influences their differentiation. Rearrangement of
cytoskeleton and modification of intracellular tension may
activate mechanotransduction pathways controlling cell
commitment. In the present study, the mechanical signals
involved in cell adhesion were computed in in vitro stem
cells of different shapes using a single cell model, the
so-called Cytoskeleton Divided Medium (CDM) model.
In the CDM model, the filamentous cytoskeleton and
nucleoskeleton networks were represented as a mechanical
system of multiple tensile and compressive interactions
between the nodes of a divided medium. The results showed
that intracellular tonus, focal adhesion forces as well as
nuclear deformation increased with cell spreading. The
cell model was also implemented to simulate the adhesion
process of a cell that spreads on protein-coated substrate by
emitting filopodia and creating new distant focal adhesion
points. As a result, the cell model predicted cytoskeleton
reorganisation and reinforcement during cell spreading.
The present model quantitatively computed the evolution
of certain elements of mechanotransduction and may be a
powerful tool for understanding cell mechanobiology and
designing biomaterials with specific surface properties to
control cell adhesion and differentiation