SCWISh network is essential for survival under mechanical pressure

Area of Science:

• Cell biology
• Mechanobiology
• Biophysics

Background:

• Cells experience mechanical compressive stress in confined environments like tumors.
• Understanding cellular responses to mechanical forces is crucial.
• Budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) is a model for studying these responses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how cells sense and respond to mechanical compressive stress.
• To identify the molecular pathways involved in mechanosensation.
• To define a network essential for cell survival under pressure.

Main Methods:

• Development of microfluidic bioreactors to apply controlled compressive stress.
• Genetic manipulation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to study specific pathways.
• Analysis of cell cycle progression and survival rates under pressure.

Main Results:

• Identified a novel mechanosensitive pathway, termed SMuSh (Ste11 through Mucin/Sho1), involving Msb2 and Sho1.
• The SMuSh pathway delays cell cycle progression in G1 and enhances survival under compressive stress.
• The cell wall integrity (CWI) pathway also contributes to the response to mechanical stress.
• A combined network, SCWISh (survival through CWI and SMuSh), is essential for adaptation to pressure.

Conclusions:

• The SMuSh and CWI pathways form a critical network (SCWISh) for cellular survival under mechanical compression.
• This study elucidates key mechanisms of mechanotransduction in budding yeast.
• Findings have implications for understanding cell behavior in confined biological environments, including tumors.