Integrin molecular tension required for focal adhesion maturation and YAP nuclear translocation

Focal adhesions (FAs) provide the cells linkages to extracellular matrix (ECM) at sites of integrins binding and transmit mechanical forces between the ECM and the actin cytoskeleton. Cells sense and respond to physical stimuli from their surrounding environment through the activation of mechanosensitive signaling pathways, a process called mechanotransduction. In this study, we used RGD-peptide conjugated DNA tension gauge tethers (TGTs) with different tension tolerance (Ttol) to determine the molecular forces required for FA maturation in different sizes and YAP nuclear translocation. We found that the limitation of FA sizes in cells seeded on TGTs with different Ttol were less than 1 μm, 2 μm, 3 μm, and 6 μm for Ttol values of 43 pN, 50 pN, 54 pN, and 56 pN, respectively. This suggests that the molecular tension across integrins increases gradually as FA size increases throughout FA maturation. For YAP nuclear translocation, significant YAP nuclear localization was observed only in the cells seeded on the TGTs with Ttol ≥ 54 pN, but not on TGTs with Ttol ≤ 50 pN, suggesting a threshold of molecular force across integrins for YAP nuclear translocation lies in the range of 50 pN–54 pN.