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Molecular Regulators of Cellular Mechanoadaptation at Cell-Material Interfaces
Juhyeon Jo1, Sama Abdi Nansa1, Dong-Hwee Kim1
1KU-KIST Graduate School of Converging Science and Technology, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea.
Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology
|December 28, 2020
Summary
Cells sense and respond to physical cues from their environment through mechanosensation and mechanotransduction. Understanding these cellular responses to material properties is key for disease insights and therapeutic applications.
Area of Science:
- Cellular Biology
- Biophysics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Cellular behaviors are governed by extracellular physical cues detected through subcellular interactions.
- Cells use signaling pathways to convert biophysical stimuli into biochemical reactions, maintaining matrix reciprocity.
- Advances in cell micromanipulation reveal the importance of material features in cellular mechanosensation and mechanotransduction.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review how alterations in material physical properties influence cellular signal transduction.
- To discuss the impact of these changes on cell adhesion, migration, proliferation, differentiation, and chromosomal organization.
- To explore the pathological relevance of misregulated cellular mechanosensation in human diseases.
Main Methods:
- Review of literature on cellular responses to extracellular physical cues.
- Analysis of signaling pathways including integrins and LINC complexes.
- Examination of strategies to modulate cell-material interfaces (e.g., surface rigidity, confinement, topology).
Main Results:
- Transmembrane protein integrins and LINC complexes are crucial for outside-in signal transduction.
- Mechanical signals propagate to the nuclear envelope, influencing gene expression and epigenetic modification.
- Modulating cell-material interfaces alters cellular behaviors and gene expression.
Conclusions:
- Cellular responses to material properties are fundamental to mechanosensation and mechanotransduction.
- Dysregulated mechanosensation contributes to diseases like cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and aging.
- Understanding cellular mechanoadaptation offers potential for clinical applications by manipulating extracellular matrix mechanics.
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