Related Experiment Video
Updated: Nov 13, 2025
07:42
Live Cell Imaging during Mechanical Stretch
Published on: August 19, 2015
10.7K
Cell stretchers and the LINC complex in mechanotransduction
Abdulghani A Khilan1, Noor A Al-Maslamani1, Henning F Horn1
1College of Health and Life Sciences, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Doha, Qatar.
Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics
|March 15, 2021
Summary
Cells sense mechanical forces via the LINC complex, influencing nuclear responses. Cell stretchers are key tools for studying this mechanotransduction and its role in aging.
Area of Science:
- Cell Biology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Cellular responses to mechanical forces are vital for survival and function.
- The LINC complex mediates mechanotransduction, connecting the cell surface to the nucleus.
- Nuclear structure, chromatin, and gene expression are altered by mechanical stress via the LINC complex.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the role of cell stretchers in studying mechanotransduction.
- To discuss key parameters for using cell stretchers.
- To explore the LINC complex's contribution to cellular mechanical responses.
- To suggest cell stretchers as a tool for aging research.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on cell stretchers and LINC complexes.
- Analysis of mechanotransduction pathways.
- Discussion of experimental parameters for cell stretching devices.
Main Results:
- Cell stretchers are common devices for applying mechanical strain to cells.
- The LINC complex is crucial for transmitting mechanical signals to the nucleus.
- Cell stretchers can alter nuclear organization and gene expression in response to mechanical stress.
Conclusions:
- Cell stretchers are valuable tools for investigating cellular mechanotransduction.
- Understanding LINC complex function is key to deciphering cellular mechanical responses.
- Cell stretchers show potential for studying the aging process at a cellular level.
Related Concept Videos
01:13Cell-matrix's Response to Mechanical Forces
3.1K
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...
Anchoring junctions mechanically attach a cell to the...
3.1K
01:26Tension Response at Adherens Junctions
3.2K
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...
α-Catenin as a Mechanosensory Protein
The α-catenin of adherens junctions is an allosteric protein with three VH (vinculin...
3.2K
01:17Intracellular Signaling Affects Focal Adhesions
3.2K
Integrins act both as extracellular input receivers and as intracellular processing activators. As their name suggests, integrins are entirely integrated into the membrane structure. Their hydrophobic membrane-spanning regions interact with the phospholipid bilayer's hydrophobic region. These membrane receptors provide extracellular attachment sites for effectors like hormones and growth factors. They activate intracellular response cascades when their effectors are bound and active.
Some...
Some...
3.2K
01:31Mechanism of Lamellipodia Formation
3.2K
Cells migrating in response to external stimuli form lamellipodia, which are thin membrane protrusions supported by a mesh of linked, branched, or unbranched actin filaments. These actin filaments interact with myosin motor proteins, creating the dynamic actomyosin complex within the cytoskeleton. Contractility, or the ability to generate contractile stress, is inherent to the actomyosin complex. It helps cells detect the stiffness of the surrounding ECM and exert contractile force for...
3.2K
01:25Smooth Muscle Contraction
5.9K
Smooth muscle contraction is a complex process vital for various bodily functions, from maintaining blood vessel tension to facilitating the movement of food through the digestive tract. Unlike striated muscles, smooth muscle contraction begins more slowly and lasts longer.
The onset of contraction is triggered by an increase in calcium ions within the sarcoplasm, similar to the process in striated muscle. However, smooth muscles have a relatively smaller reservoir of the sarcoplasmic...
The onset of contraction is triggered by an increase in calcium ions within the sarcoplasm, similar to the process in striated muscle. However, smooth muscles have a relatively smaller reservoir of the sarcoplasmic...
5.9K
01:10The Role of Actin and Myosin in Non-muscle Cells
3.9K
Actin and myosin or actomyosin filaments also play a significant role in cells other than those involved in muscle contraction (which occurs within the sarcomere of muscle cells). The mechanism of non-muscle cell contractile bundles was first observed in Dictyostelium and Acanthamoeba. In non-muscle cells, two bundles are commonly found: stress fibers and actomyosin adherence belts. These contractile bundles are smaller and less organized than the ones found in muscle cells. They are held...
3.9K