Figure 8

Possible scheme of cortical cytoskeleton reorganization resulting in stiffness elevation under concomitant decrease of F-actin content. (A) The quantity of stress fibrils decreases, but they are ‘packed’ more densely within the cell. (B) Stress fibrils are within the same distance from each other as initially (before challenge), but the content of actin-binding proteins is found to be increased in the cortical cytoskeleton (probably due to their recruitment within the membrane that resulted from interaction between membrane and nanoparticles); moreover, the transversally oriented actin filaments appearing in the cells may create additional ‘stiffening ribs’. The proposed mechanism is only hypothetical and needs to be checked experimentally.