Cytoskeletal control of fibroblast contractility

Relatively little quantitative information is available regarding the forces produced by non-muscle cells. However, many processes of central importance in biology and medicine are thought to result directly from the forces non-muscle cells exert on their surroundings. By attaching a contracting fibroblast populated collagen lattice to an isometric force transducer (FPCL), I measured the isometric force exerted by a population of adherent fibroblasts against their extracellular attachments. In vitro evidence suggests that non-muscle cells regulate actin-myosin interactions through phosphorylation of the myosin regulatory light chain (LC...