Brain stiffness changes across space and time, generally increasing during development. Interestingly, neurons mature faster in softer regions, while stiffer areas delay synapse formation. But how do neurons actually sense stiffness and adjust their development? This remains an open question.
In my research, we constantly develop new techniques and approaches to explore how neurons “feel” their surroundings. We investigate how the membrane and cytoskeleton interact with and respond to mechanical cues using methods such as surface plasmon resonance microscopy, fluorescence imaging, and membrane tension measurements. By combining these with CRISPR-Cas9 knockdowns in cultured neurons, we aim to uncover how mechanosensing regulates the electrical maturation of neurons.
My lab is based at the Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick.
Team
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Eva Kreysing
Assistant Professor
Eva.Kreysing@warwick.ac.uk -
Bernardo Boatini
PhD Student
Bernardo.Boatini@warwick.ac.uk
Selected Publications
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Environmental stiffness regulates neuronal maturation via Piezo1-mediated TTR activity
Kreysing, E., Gautier, H., Mukherjee, S., Mooslehner, K. A., Muresan, L., Haarhoff, D., Zhao, X., Winkel, A. K., Borić, T., Vásquez-Sepúlveda, S., Gampl, N., Dimitracopoulos, A., Pillai, E. K., Humphrey, R., Káradóttir, R. T., Franze, K. Nature Communications 2025
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-64810-3 -
Effective cell membrane tension is independent of polyacrylamide substrate stiffness
Kreysing, E., Hugh, J.M., Foster, S.K., Andresen, K., Greenhalgh, R.D., Pillai, E.K., Dimitracopoulos, A., Keyser, U.F. and Franze, K. PNAS nexus 2023
https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac299 -
Nanometer-resolved mapping of cell–substrate distances of contracting cardiomyocytes using surface plasmon resonance microscopy.
Kreysing, E., Hassani, H., Hampe, N. and Offenhäusser, A. ACS nano 2018
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.8b01396 -
Noninvasive measurement of the refractive index of cell organelles using surface plasmon resonance microscopy
Hassani, H. and Kreysing, E. Optics letters 2019
https://doi.org/10.1364/OL.44.001359 -
Correlating surface plasmon resonance microscopy of living and fixated cells with electron microscopy allows for investigation of potential preparation artifacts
Kreysing, E., Seyock, S., Hassani, H., Brauweiler‐Reuters, E., Neumann, E. and Offenhäusser, A. Advanced materials interfaces 2020
https://doi.org/10.1002/admi.201901991