# Cytoskeletal Anisotropy Controls Geometry and Forces of Adherent Cells

## TL;DR

This study reveals how anisotropic actin cytoskeleton influences cell shape and forces, combining theory and experiments to connect cell geometry with internal stress anisotropy and traction forces.

## Contribution

It introduces a model linking cell edge shape to internal stress anisotropy and demonstrates this with experimental data on micropillar arrays.

## Key findings

- Cell edges are well described by elliptical arcs.
- Eccentricity correlates with stress anisotropy.
- Spatially varying tension affects traction forces.

## Abstract

We investigate the geometrical and mechanical properties of adherent cells characterized by a highly anisotropic actin cytoskeleton. Using a combination of theoretical work and experiments on micropillar arrays, we demonstrate that the shape of the cell edge is accurately described by elliptical arcs, whose eccentricity expresses the degree of anisotropy of the internal cell stresses. This results in a spatially varying tension along the cell edge, that significantly affects the traction forces exerted by the cell on the substrate. Our work highlights the strong interplay between cell mechanics and geometry and paves the way towards the reconstruction of cellular forces from geometrical data.