# Study the role of integrin tension in cell migration, platelet contraction and invadopodium dynamics

> **NIH NIH R35** · UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI · 2022 · $405,000

## Abstract

Project Summary/Abstract
The PI’s laboratory studies cell mechanobiology at the molecular tension level. Force is essential for the life of
cells. Integrin-transmitted cellular force at the cell-matrix interface mechanically drives short-term cellular
functions such as cell adhesion, contraction and migration. In long term, cellular force is also transduced to
biochemical signals to regulate cell proliferation, differentiation, cancer cell metastasis, etc. Because of its
fundamental importance, integrin-transmitted cellular force has been extensively studied at the bulk level by the
well-developed cell traction force microscopies. However, integrin tension, the force transmitted by individual
integrin molecules, despite its fundamental role in integrin signaling, is much less understood in most cellular
functions. The PI’s lab specializes in studying cell mechanobiology using innovative molecular tension tools that
measure, map and manipulate integrin tension in live cells. A tension sensor named ITS was developed by the
PI to convert integrin tension to fluorescent signal and enable integrin tension mapping directly by fluorescence
imaging with high spatial resolution. A tension modulator named TGT was developed to quantitatively restrict
integrin tension in whole cells under a designed level for the study of regulative role of integrin tension in specific
cellular functions. With these tools, the PI’s lab initiated the study of integrin tension in migrating cells, platelets
and micro-sized invadopodia of cancer cells. The preliminary experiments have demonstrated the feasibility and
versatility of these integrin tension tools in the research of cell mechanobiology at the molecular tension level.
With these innovative tension tools, the elusive integrin tension can now be visualized, quantified and controlled
along with cell structure and biochemical factors in live cells with comparable resolution, sensitivity and precision.
In next five years, the PI’s lab will study the correlation, co-localization and causality among integrin tension, cell
structure and local biochemical activities in live cells. The MIRA fund provides the PI’s lab with the flexibility to
continue the study of integrin tension in three distinct cellular processes. The PI will combine molecular tension
tools, genetic methods and fluorescence imaging to investigate the range, source, distribution and function of
integrin tension in migrating cells, and reveal how cells exert and control integrin tension locally to coordinate
cell protrusion and retraction. For platelet study, the force source and biological function of integrin tension during
platelet adhesion, contraction and aggregation will be investigated in both 2D and 3D contexts. The integrin
tension map will also be tested as a diagnostic assay for the assessment of platelet activity in stemming bleeding.
For invadopodium study, the role of integrin tension in invadopodium formation and matrix degradation during
cancer...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10879673
- **Project number:** 7R35GM128747-06
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI
- **Principal Investigator:** Xuefeng Wang
- **Activity code:** R35 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $405,000
- **Award type:** 7
- **Project period:** 2018-08-10 → 2024-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10879673

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10879673, Study the role of integrin tension in cell migration, platelet contraction and invadopodium dynamics (7R35GM128747-06). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10879673. Licensed CC0.

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