Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 2, 2026

A Uniform Shear Assay for Human Platelet and Cell Surface Receptors via Cone-plate Viscometry
Published on: June 5, 2019
[Cell responses to mechanical stresses: mechano-sensors and messengers]
Kishio Furuya1, Masahiro Sokabe
1Japan Science and Technology Agency, SORST/ICORP, Cell Mechanosensing Project.
Abstract:
Mechanical stress is essential for the survival of cells and the maintenance of tissues. However, the mechanisms of cell response to mechanical stress are not fully elucidated due to the diversity of mechanical stresses and mechanosensors. Ion channels, cytoskeletons, or adherence molecules are supposed to be most probable candidates for the mechanosensor in cells. In addition, a release of extracellular messengers including ATP in response to mechanical stresses is thought to be an important mechanism of the mechanosensing in the tissue. Here, we review how these mechanosensing machineries detect various mechanical stresses and work in cells.
Related Concept Videos
Cell-matrix's Response to Mechanical Forces
Anchoring junctions mechanically attach a cell to the...
Tension Response at Adherens Junctions
α-Catenin as a Mechanosensory Protein
The α-catenin of adherens junctions is an allosteric protein with three VH (vinculin homology) domains...
Mechanically-gated Ion Channels
Other Stress Responses in Bacteria
Mechanical Protein Functions
Overview of Cell Signaling
Cells respond to many types of information, often through receptor proteins positioned on the membrane. For example, skin cells respond to and transmit touch...

