# Title of Dataset: Viscoelastic properties of suspended cells measured with shear flow deformation cytometry ## Description of the Data and file structure Numerous cell functions are accompanied by phenotypic changes in viscoelastic properties, and measuring them can help elucidate higher-level cellular functions in health and disease. We present a high-throughput, simple and low-cost microfluidic method for quantitatively measuring the elastic (storage) and viscous (loss) modulus of individual cells. Cells are suspended in a high-viscosity fluid and are pumped with high pressure through a 5.8 cm long and 200 μm wide microfluidic channel. The fluid shear stress induces large, near ellipsoidal cell deformations. In addition, the flow profile in the channel causes the cells to rotate in a tank-treading manner. From the cell deformation and tank treading frequency, we extract the frequency-dependent viscoelastic cell properties based on a theoretical framework developed by R. Roscoe that describes the deformation of a viscoelastic sphere in a viscous fluid under steady laminar flow. We confirm the accuracy of the method using atomic force microscopy-calibrated polyacrylamide beads and cells. Our measurements demonstrate that suspended cells exhibit power-law, soft glassy rheological behavior that is cell cycle-dependent and mediated by the physical interplay between the actin filament and intermediate filament networks. The dataset is organized into different folders, each containing a README.txt file explaining the data and file structure. ## Sharing/access Information Links to other publicly accessible locations of the data: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.78823 Was data derived from another source? No Author Information Corresponding Investigator Name: Richard Gerum Institution: York University, Toronto, Canada Email: rgerum@yorku.ca Principal Investigator Information Name: Ben Fabry Institution: Friedrich Alexander University, Erlangen, Germany\ Email: ben.fabry@fau.de Date of data collection: 2019-2021 Geographic location of data collection: Erlangen, Germany; Marseilles, France Funding sources that supported the collection of the data: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programm Recommended citation for this dataset: Gerum et al. (2022), Data from: Viscoelastic properties of suspended cells measured with shear flow deformation cytometry, Dryad, Dataset ## Folder List afm_comparison_afm_cells NIH-3T3 cells measured with AFM to compare with the shear flow deformation cytometer. afm_comparison_afm_indentation A sample indentation measurement of a NIH-3T3 cell measured with AFM. afm_comparison_sfdc_cells NIH-3T3 cells measured in with the shear flow deformation cytometer to compare with the AFM measurement. cell_cycle NIH-3T3 cells measured in with the shear flow deformation cytometer transfected with a two-color fluorescent Fucci cell cycle indicator. The transfected cells show fluorescence activity dependent on the cell cycle. cell_cycle_fluorscence_ratios NIH-3T3 cells transfected with a two-color fluorescent Fucci cell cycle indicator. The transfected cells show fluorescence activity dependent on the cell cycle. The cells were measured in an epifluorescence microscope to measure the ratio of green and red fluorescence intensity. different_alginate_concentrations NIH-3T3 cells measured with the shear flow deormation cytometer in 3 different concentrations of alginate suspension. different_pressures NIH-3T3 cells measured with the shear flow deormation cytometer in 3 different pressures in 1.5% alginate suspension. different_times NIH-3T3 cells measured with the shear flow deormation cytometer at different times at 3 different pressures in 1.5% alginate suspension dose_response_HL60 HL60 cells in response to different concentration of latrunculin B and a control without drug and a control with DMSO instead of latrunculin B, measured with the shear flow deormation cytometer. dose_response_NIH3T3 NIH-3T3 cells in response to different concentration of latrunculin B measured on 4 different days always paired with a control measurement, measured with the shear flow deormation cytometer. paam_beads_afm PAAm beads with different acralymide-bisacrylamide total monomer concentrations measured with afm. paam_beads_sfdc PAAm beads with different acralymide-bisacrylamide total monomer concentrations measured with the shear flow deformation cytometer. vimentin_desmin Different knock-out cell lines measured with the shear flow deformation cytometer to investigate the role of intermediate filaments.