Exploring Integrin-Mediated Force Transmission during Confined Cell Migration by DNA-Based Tension Probes

Mechanical forces have profound effects on the morphology and migration of cells in a two-dimensional environment. However, cells in vivo mostly migrate in three-dimensional space while physically constrained, and the mechanism by which cellular dynamic forces drive migration in this confined environment is unclear. Here, we present a method of fabricating microfluidic chips with integrated DNA-based tension probes to measure spatiotemporal variations in integrin-mediated force exerted during confined cell migration. Using this developed device, we measured the spatial locations, magnitudes, and temporal characteristics of integrin-ligand tension signals in motile cells in different microchannels and found that cells exerted less force and underwent increasingly transitory integrin–ligand interactions when migrating in confined spaces. This study demonstrates that the described method provides insights into understanding the migratory machinery of cells in geometrically confined environment that better mimics physiological conditions.