Effect of aging on cellular mechanotransduction
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 18, 2026

A Simplified System for Evaluating Cell Mechanosensing and Durotaxis In Vitro
Published on: August 27, 2015
Miaozong Wu1, Jacqueline Fannin, Kevin M Rice
1Cell Differentiation and Development Center, Marshall University, Huntington, WV, United States.
Abstract:
Aging is becoming a critical heath care issue and a burgeoning economic burden on society. Mechanotransduction is the ability of the cell to sense, process, and respond to mechanical stimuli and is an important regulator of physiologic function that has been found to play a role in regulating gene expression, protein synthesis, cell differentiation, tissue growth, and most recently, the pathophysiology of disease. Here we will review some of the recent findings of this field and attempt, where possible, to present changes in mechanotransduction that are associated with the aging process in several selected physiological systems, including musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, neuronal, respiratory systems and skin.
Related Concept Videos
The Effect of Aging on Tissues
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...
Aging
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
Cell-matrix's Response to Mechanical Forces
Anchoring junctions mechanically attach a cell to the...
Mitochondria
Pharmacodynamics in Geriatric Patients: Effects of Age