Mechanotransduction, the process by which cells respond to tension transmitted through various supramolecular linkages, is important for understanding cellular behavior. Tension gauge tethers (TGTs), short fragments of double-stranded DNA that irreversibly break under shear-stretch conditions, have been used in live cell experiments to study mechanotransduction. However, our current understanding of TGTs' mechanical responses is limited, which limits the information that can be gleaned from experimental observations. In this study, we quantified the tension-dependent lifetime of TGTs to better understand their mechanical stability under various physiologically relevant stretching conditions. This work has broad applications for using TGTs as tension threshold and duration sensors and also suggests the need to revisit previous interpretations of experimental observations.
Keywords: DNA tension sensor; adherence junction; focal adhesion; magnetic tweezers; mechanosensing and mechanotransduction; tension gauge tether (TGT).