Förster resonance energy transfer efficiency of the vinculin tension sensor in cultured primary cortical neuronal growth cones.

: Interaction of neurons with their extracellular environment and the mechanical forces at focal adhesions and synaptic junctions play important roles in neuronal development. : To advance studies of mechanotransduction, we demonstrate the use of the vinculin tension sensor (VinTS) in primary cultures of cortical neurons. VinTS consists of TS module (TSMod), a Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based tension sensor, inserted between vinculin's head and tail.