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Related Concept Videos

Mechanically-gated Ion Channels01:12

Mechanically-gated Ion Channels

Mechanically-gated ion channels are proteins found in eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell membranes that open in response to mechanical stress. Tension, compression, swelling, and shear stress can alter the conformation of the protein, opening a transmembrane channel that allows the passage of ions for signal transmission. In eukaryotes, mechanically-gated channels are distributed in several regions like the neurons, lungs, skin, bladder, and heart, where they play critical roles in numerous...
Mechanically-gated Ion Channels01:12

Mechanically-gated Ion Channels

Mechanically-gated ion channels are proteins found in eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell membranes that open in response to mechanical stress. Tension, compression, swelling, and shear stress can alter the conformation of the protein, opening a transmembrane channel that allows the passage of ions for signal transmission. In eukaryotes, mechanically-gated channels are distributed in several regions like the neurons, lungs, skin, bladder, and heart, where they play critical roles in numerous...
Tension Response at Adherens Junctions01:26

Tension Response at Adherens Junctions

The adherens junctions that anchor cells together are multi-protein complexes that dynamically adapt to mechanical stimuli such as tensile forces and shear stress. Mechanosensory proteins in these junctions can sense such mechanical stimuli and undergo a shift in their conformation, resulting in an altered function — a process called mechanotransduction.
α-Catenin as a Mechanosensory Protein
The α-catenin of adherens junctions is an allosteric protein with three VH (vinculin homology) domains...
Cell-matrix's Response to Mechanical Forces01:13

Cell-matrix's Response to Mechanical Forces

In animal cells, the extracellular matrix allows cells within tissues to withstand external stresses and transmits signals from the outside of the cell to the inside. The extracellular matrix is extensive, and its composition varies between different types of tissues. For example, the reticular fibers and ground substance make up the ECM in loose connective tissue, while collagen and bone minerals make up the ECM of bone tissue. 
Anchoring junctions mechanically attach a cell to the...
Overview of Cell Signaling01:23

Overview of Cell Signaling

Despite the protective membrane that separates a cell from the environment, cells need the ability to detect and respond to environmental changes. Additionally, cells often need to communicate with one another. Unicellular and multicellular organisms use a variety of cell signaling mechanisms to communicate with the environment.
Cells respond to many types of information, often through receptor proteins positioned on the membrane. For example, skin cells respond to and transmit touch...
Signal Transduction: Overview01:26

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Cells respond to many types of information, often through receptor proteins positioned on the membrane. They respond to chemical signals, such as hormones, neurotransmitters, and other signaling molecules, initiating a series of molecular reactions to produce an appropriate response. This is called signal transduction. Cells also coordinate different responses elicited by the same signaling molecule via mediators, allowing molecular cross-talk.
Typically, signal transduction involves three...

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A Simplified System for Evaluating Cell Mechanosensing and Durotaxis In Vitro
09:50

A Simplified System for Evaluating Cell Mechanosensing and Durotaxis In Vitro

Published on: August 27, 2015

Mechanotransduction in cells.

Wolfgang H Goldmann1

  • 1Center for Medical Physics and Technology, Biophysics Group, Friedrich-Alexander-University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Henkestrasse 91, 91052 Erlangen, Germany. wgoldmann@biomed.uni-erlangen.de

Cell Biology International
|May 10, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Cellular adhesions, including integrins and focal adhesions, are crucial for cell mechanics. Researchers are investigating which specific proteins within focal adhesions sense and respond to mechanical stress.

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Area of Science:

  • Cell Biology
  • Biophysics
  • Mechanobiology

Background:

  • Cell-matrix and cell-cell adhesions influence fundamental cellular processes like metabolism, survival, and mechanical properties.
  • Integrins act as transmembrane receptors linking the extracellular matrix (ECM) to the cytoskeleton, playing a key role in cell adhesion.
  • Focal adhesions (FAs) are protein complexes associated with integrins, crucial for sensing and transmitting mechanical cues.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To explore the role of focal adhesions in cellular mechanical responses.
  • To identify the specific protein(s) within focal adhesions responsible for sensing and responding to mechanical stress.

Main Methods:

  • Investigated the formation and dynamics of focal adhesions under varying mechanical tension.
  • Utilized techniques to probe protein interactions and mechanical signal transduction within focal adhesions.

Main Results:

  • Focal adhesion formation is enhanced by external tension and internal cell contractility.
  • Identified several candidate proteins within focal adhesions that may sense and transmit mechanical stress.

Conclusions:

  • Integrins and focal adhesions are central to how cells perceive and react to mechanical forces.
  • The precise mechanosensing proteins within focal adhesions remain an active area of research.