The weakness of senescent dermal fibroblasts.

Skin is the largest human organ with easily noticeable biophysical manifestations of aging. As human tissues age, there is chronological accumulation of biophysical changes due to internal and environmental factors. Skin aging leads to decreased elasticity and the loss of dermal matrix integrity via degradation.

Ageing-induced shrinkage of intervessel pit membranes in xylem of modifies its mechanical properties as revealed by atomic force microscopy.

Bordered pit membranes of angiosperm xylem are anisotropic, mesoporous media between neighbouring conduits, with a key role in long distance water transport. Yet, their mechanical properties are poorly understood. Here, we aim to quantify the stiffness of intervessel pit membranes over various growing seasons.

Evaluation of TEM methods for their signature of the number of layers in mono- and few-layer TMDs as exemplified by MoS and MoTe.

In mono- and few-layer 2D materials, the exact number of layers is a critical parameter, determining the materials' properties and thus their performance in future nano-devices. Here, we evaluate in a systematic manner the signature of exfoliated free-standing mono- and few-layer MoS and MoTe in TEM experiments such as high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, electron energy-loss spectroscopy, and 3D electron diffraction. A reference for the number of layers has been determined by optical contrast and AFM measurements on a substrate.

Reduced adhesion of aged intestinal stem cells contributes to an accelerated clonal drift.

Upon aging, the function of the intestinal epithelium declines with a concomitant increase in aging-related diseases. ISCs play an important role in this process. It is known that ISC clonal dynamics follow a neutral drift model.

Influence of ROCK Pathway Manipulation on the Actin Cytoskeleton Height.

The actin cytoskeleton with its dynamic properties serves as the driving force for the movement and division of cells and gives the cell shape and structure. Disorders in the actin cytoskeleton occur in many diseases. Deeper understanding of its regulation is essential in order to better understand these biochemical processes.

Albumin Microspheres as "Trans-Ferry-Beads" for Easy Cell Passaging in Cell Culture Technology.

Protein hydrogels represent ideal materials for advanced cell culture applications, including 3D-cultivation of even fastidious cells. Key properties of fully functional and, at the same time, economically successful cell culture materials are excellent biocompatibility and advanced fabrication processes allowing their easy production even on a large scale based on affordable compounds. Chemical crosslinking of bovine serum albumin (BSA) with N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-N'-ethylcarbodiimide hydrochloride (EDC) in a water-in-oil emulsion with isoparaffinic oil as the continuous phase and sorbitan monooleate as surfactant generates micro-meter-scale spherical particles.

Micropatterning of Cells on Gold Surfaces for Biophysical Applications.

We developed a reproducible micropatterning method to manipulate and normalize cell shape and cell-cell separation on gold. We used methoxy polyethylene glycol thiol (PEG-SH) to create a self-assembled monolayer that can be oxidized at desired shapes through a photomask with deep UV light. The oxidized PEG can be coated with extracellular matrix proteins and seeded with cells adopting the pre-defined shape.

Acute effects of cell stretch on keratin filaments in A549 lung cells.

Keratin filaments (KFs) comprise the intermediate filaments of epithelial cells and are well known for their cytoprotective properties and their mechanical resilience. Although, several studies have demonstrated KFs' remarkable tensile properties relatively little is known about acute implications of mechanical stretch on KFs in living cells. This includes structural effects on the KFs and their higher level assembly structures as well as posttranslational response mechanisms to possibly modify KF's properties.