The Importance of Mechanical Signals in Regulating Cellular Behavior
Title of study: Cellular Mechanotransduction: Putting All the Pieces Together Again
Author: Donald E. Ingber
This study delves into cellular mechanotransduction, which is the process by which cells convert mechanical signals into biochemical responses. Scientists have identified various mechanosensitive molecules and cellular components that contribute to this process, including ion channels, integrins, growth factor receptors, and cytoskeletal filaments. However, little is known about how these different molecules function within the structural context of living cells, tissues, and organs to produce the orchestrated cellular behaviors required for embryogenesis and physiological control.
Recent research shows that organ, tissue, and cell anatomy are as important for mechanotransduction as individual mechanosensitive proteins. Our bodies use structural hierarchies composed of interconnected networks that span from the macroscale to the nanoscale in order to focus stresses on specific mechanotransducer molecules. The presence of isometric tension (prestress) at all levels of these multiscale networks ensures that various molecular scale mechanochemical transduction mechanisms proceed simultaneously and produce a concerted response.
Understanding the mechanotransduction process is essential for the development of new treatments and therapies that can help promote tissue regeneration and repair. By analyzing, understanding, and modeling tensionally integrated (tensegrity) systems of mechanochemical control, scientists can identify new targets for therapeutic interventions. This could lead to the development of new treatments for conditions such as arthritis, osteoporosis, and other degenerative diseases.