# Physical Approaches for Probing the Mechanical Properties of Intermediate Filaments

> **NIH NIH P01** · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $260,845

## Abstract

Abstract
Cell must support forces, must exert forces, and must respond to forces. All these behaviors are fundamentally
built on mechanical properties of the cells, which are largely determined by three filamentous networks within
the cytoskeleton, actin, microtubules, and intermediate filaments (IF). While actin and microtubules are widely
cited as the crucial components determining the mechanical properties of the cells and are well studied, the
importance of intermediate filaments is increasingly being recognized. For example, cells without vimentin
intermediate filaments are much weaker and more susceptible to break up upon application of small shear forces
comparable in magnitude to those encountered in blood flow; moreover, they are much less stable, with the
nucleus and organelles lacking positional stability and being easier to move. The presence of vimentin IF
networks mechanically stabilize cells; however, they must work in concert with the other filamentous networks.
The overarching goal of this Program Project is to elucidate the roles of the vimentin IF network and how it
operates in concert with other filamentous networks to determine the mechanical properties of cells. We will
accomplish this through studies of reconstituted mixed networks with and without motor proteins to isolate the
mechanics of the IF networks in the presence of the other networks. The results of these studies will be compared
to the mechanical behavior of cells grown on flat substrates, both isolated and in confluent layers, and for cells
from vimentin-related diseases. Ultimately, we will build new systems to enable studies of the properties of cells
grown in three-dimensional networks that mimic environments in vivo. The knowledge gained in this study will
establish foundational scientific understanding of roles of vimentin IFs in cell mechanics, which will ultimately
provide guidance to the development of treatments for vimentin related diseases.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9994771
- **Project number:** 5P01GM096971-08
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** DAVID A WEITZ
- **Activity code:** P01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $260,845
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2011-06-15 → 2022-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9994771

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9994771, Physical Approaches for Probing the Mechanical Properties of Intermediate Filaments (5P01GM096971-08). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9994771. Licensed CC0.

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