Kinematically-Dominated Regime Shapes Cell Traction Force Dynamics under Osmotic Shock
- 1university of science and technology of china
Abstract
Adherent cells must continuously adapt to rapid environmental fluctuations to preserve mechanical integrity. However, conventional theoretical frameworks predominantly rely on quasi-static assumptions, thereby limiting their ability to capture the transient dynamics of cellular responses to high-rate perturbations, such as acute osmotic shocks. To address this limitation, we developed a biophysical model incorporating a Hill-type law that couples active cytoskeletal mechanics to cell-edge velocity, explaining the counterintuitive experimental observation that traction forces transiently decrease during rapid hypotonic swelling despite an increase in cell size. We further construct a kinematic-geometric phase diagram that connects classical quasi-static theories with our dynamic model. Moreover, we show that traction-force dynamics are sensitive to the loading rate and amplitude of osmotic shock. In addition, stiffness-associated simulations and supporting perturbation evidence suggest a cellular stiffness-associated recovery trend in which stiffer cells exhibit faster volume recovery driven by stronger recoil of hydrostatic pressure.
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BibTeX
@misc{gan2026kinematicallydominated,
title = {{Kinematically-Dominated Regime Shapes Cell Traction Force Dynamics under Osmotic Shock}},
author = {j. gan and x. wang and w. wu and s. zhang and s. wu},
howpublished = {bioRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.64898/2026.09.21.715587},
url = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.21.715587v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Kinematically-Dominated Regime Shapes Cell Traction Force Dynamics under Osmotic Shock
AU - j. gan
AU - x. wang
AU - w. wu
AU - s. zhang
AU - s. wu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/21
PB - bioRxiv
DO - 10.64898/2026.09.21.715587
UR - https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.09.21.715587v1
AB - Adherent cells must continuously adapt to rapid environmental fluctuations to preserve mechanical integrity. However, conventional theoretical frameworks predominantly rely on quasi-static assumptions, thereby limiting their ability to capture the transient dynamics of cellular responses to high-rate perturbations, such as acute osmotic shocks. To address this limitation, we developed a biophysical model incorporating a Hill-type law that couples active cytoskeletal mechanics to cell-edge velocity, explaining the counterintuitive experimental observation that traction forces transiently decrease during rapid hypotonic swelling despite an increase in cell size. We further construct a kinematic-geometric phase diagram that connects classical quasi-static theories with our dynamic model. Moreover, we show that traction-force dynamics are sensitive to the loading rate and amplitude of osmotic shock. In addition, stiffness-associated simulations and supporting perturbation evidence suggest a cellular stiffness-associated recovery trend in which stiffer cells exhibit faster volume recovery driven by stronger recoil of hydrostatic pressure.
ER -