Influence of the PDMS substrate stiffness on the adhesion of Acanthamoeba castellanii

• Sören B. Gutekunst,
• Carsten Grabosch,
• Alexander Kovalev,
• Stanislav N. Gorb and
• Christine Selhuber-Unkel

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1393–1398, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.152

• in the human body are the eye and the brain, i.e., very soft environments. Thus, our study provides first hints towards the relevance of mechanical aspects for the pathogenicity of eukaryotic parasites. Keywords: acanthamoeba; cell adhesion; elastic substrates; mechanosensing; silicones

• forces on elastic substrates has led to substantial information on the forces that cells are able to exert [12][13]. Taken together, there is evidence for the existence of mechanosensors in mammalian cells, yet the detailed mechanisms of mechanosensing are still under investigation. Currently, there are

• mammalian cells [2]. Such an extenuated effect is reasonable, as acanthamoebae have to be able to survive and migrate in very diverse natural environments, ranging from soil to water reservoirs. Conclusion We have presented an adhesion analysis of human pathogenic A. castellanii to soft elastic substrates