Mechanics rules cell biology
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Updated: Jun 11, 2026

Measuring the Mechanical Properties of Living Cells Using Atomic Force Microscopy
Published on: June 27, 2013
1MechanoBiology Laboratory, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 210 Lothrop St, BST E1640, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA. wanghc@pitt.edu.
Abstract:
Cells in the musculoskeletal system are subjected to various mechanical forces in vivo. Years of research have shown that these mechanical forces, including tension and compression, greatly influence various cellular functions such as gene expression, cell proliferation and differentiation, and secretion of matrix proteins. Cells also use mechanotransduction mechanisms to convert mechanical signals into a cascade of cellular and molecular events. This mini-review provides an overview of cell mechanobiology to highlight the notion that mechanics, mainly in the form of mechanical forces, dictates cell behaviors in terms of both cellular mechanobiological responses and mechanotransduction.
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