Localized actin cortex perturbation generates cell-scale membrane tension gradients

Panda, Yogishree Arabinda

Localized actin cortex perturbation generates cell-scale membrane tension gradients

Contributing person datacite.contributor.Researcher	Yogishree Arabinda Panda
Contributing person datacite.contributor.Supervisor	Elisabeth Fischer-Friedrich
Documentation of the data datacite.description.TechnicalInfo	Please refer to "PaperArabinda2_TensionGradients.zip" file for references to all the figures mentioned in the "Description of the data" section.
Countries to which the data refer datacite.geolocation.iso3166	GERMANY
Description of the data datacite.resourceType	"FliptR_lifetime_measurement_Fig01.7z ", contains FliptR fluorescence lifetime imaging (B&H SPC-150) (.sdt format) and confocal imaging (Zeiss LSM780) (.czi format) data for opto-RhoA activatable cells in both control and drug treated conditions. The corresponding figure is Figure01. "Microtubule_and_Actin_Tracking_Fig02_and_SFig01.zip", contains fluorescence imaging data (.czi format) for opto-RhoA activatable cells. Microtubule dynamics was imaged via Tubulin tracker deep red dye and actin was images using SiR-actin dye. The corresponding figure is Figure02 and Supplementary Figure01. "CorticalTensionMeasurement_Fig02_d_e.zip", contains AFM imaging data for parallel plate confinement assay to measure cortical tension\hydrostatic pressure of the cell (.out format) and confocal imaging (.czi format). The corresponding figure is Figure02 (d,e). "Tether_Pulling_Membrane-to-Cortex_adhesion_Fig03.7z", contains AFM based tether pulling data (.out format). The corresponding figure is Figure03. "MembraneFlow_SFig02", contains plasma membrane lipid fluorescence imaging data (CellMask Orange, Zeiss LSM900, .czi format) to measure lipid flow in plasma membrane. The corresponding figure is Supplementary Figure02.
Type of the data datacite.resourceTypeGeneral	Collection
Total size of the dataset datacite.size	20972326780
Author dc.contributor.author	Panda, Yogishree Arabinda
Upload date dc.date.accessioned	2026-10-27T14:48:13Z
Publication date dc.date.available	2026-10-27T14:48:13Z
Data of data creation dc.date.created	2025
Publication date dc.date.issued	2026-10-27
Abstract of the dataset dc.description.abstract	Membrane tension is a key mechanical regulator of cell signaling, morphology, and division. Whether cells can sustain spatial gradients in membrane tension, or whether such asymmetries are rapidly dissipated by long-range tension propagation, remains actively debated. Here, we use the tension-sensitive fluorescent probe FliptR to directly measure changes in in-plane membrane tension following localized optogenetic activation of RhoA in mitotic HeLa cells. We find that local RhoA activation induces a sustained, cell-scale gradient in FliptR lifetime, consistent with a cell-scale in-plane membrane tension gradient and tension elevation on the non-activated side. This gradient depends on an intact actin and microtubule cytoskeleton and is accompanied by polarized cytoskeletal remodeling, with cortical F-actin enrichment at the activation site and asymmetric microtubule growth on the opposite side. AFM tether-force measurements reveal increased tether forces at the activated side, indicating locally enhanced membrane–cortex coupling. A coarse-grained membrane chemical-potential model explains how spatially heterogeneous membrane–cortex coupling can maintain such gradients. Together, our findings show that cells can actively generate and sustain spatially patterned mechanical states through localized cytoskeletal signaling.
Public reference to this page dc.identifier.uri	https://opara.zih.tu-dresden.de/handle/123456789/2480
Public reference to this page dc.identifier.uri	https://doi.org/10.25532/OPARA-1326
Publisher dc.publisher	Technische Universität Dresden
Licence dc.rights	Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International	en
URI of the licence text dc.rights.uri	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
Specification of the discipline(s) dc.subject.classification	3
Title of the dataset dc.title	Localized actin cortex perturbation generates cell-scale membrane tension gradients
Research instruments opara.descriptionInstrument	Confocal microscope (Zeiss-LSM 780, LSM900, and LSM980), FLIM imaging (B&H SPC-150), AFM (JPK NPX4)
Underlying research object opara.descriptionObject.Other	Mitotically arrested HeLa Kyoto cells expressing opto-RhoA
Funding Acknowledgement opara.project.fundingAcknowledgement	We thank the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) for financial support through the Heisenberg program, project number 495224622/FI 2260/8-1 (EFF) and the grant FI 2260/5-2 (EFF).