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Updated: Mar 22, 2026

Single Cell Durotaxis Assay for Assessing Mechanical Control of Cellular Movement and Related Signaling Events
Published on: August 27, 2019
The Regulation of Cellular Responses to Mechanical Cues by Rho GTPases
Jing Ling Hoon1, Mei Hua Tan2, Cheng-Gee Koh3,4
1School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore 637551, Singapore. Jlhoon@ntu.edu.sg.
Abstract:
The Rho GTPases regulate many cellular signaling cascades that modulate cell motility, migration, morphology and cell division. A large body of work has now delineated the biochemical cues and pathways, which stimulate the GTPases and their downstream effectors. However, cells also respond exquisitely to biophysical and mechanical cues such as stiffness and topography of the extracellular matrix that profoundly influence cell migration, proliferation and differentiation. As these cellular responses are mediated by the actin cytoskeleton, an involvement of Rho GTPases in the transduction of such cues is not unexpected. In this review, we discuss an emerging role of Rho GTPase proteins in the regulation of the responses elicited by biophysical and mechanical stimuli.
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