Synchronized Cellular Mechanosensing due to External Periodic Driving*

The response of cells to periodic driving is important for many biological processes, particularly for proper blood flow and heart functioning. Our research analyzes the collective shear stress response of fibroblast cells due to a periodic driving frequency. When cells experience shear stress, they release calcium into the cytosol. To quantify the shear stress response of the cells, we use calcium imaging and single-cell level analysis. We have observed the collective response of a monolayer of fibroblast cells due to a periodic shear stress. The average calcium dynamics of the cells do not have the same frequency as the applied shear stress profile. This suggests that a collective response of cells may exhibit rich dynamics beyond intuitive expectation. We did simple theoretical modeling to explain the discontinuity of the nonlinear signaling dynamics observed.