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Looking at mechanobiology through an evolutionary lens.
Ivan Radin1, Elizabeth S Haswell1
1Department of Biology, MSC 1137-154-314, Washington University, 1 Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO, 63130-489, United States; NSF Center for Engineering Mechanobiology, United States.
Current Opinion in Plant Biology
|October 10, 2021
Summary
Evolutionary mechanobiology explores how mechanical forces shape plant evolution. Studying plastids reveals diverse responses to mechanical stimuli and roles in graviperception across plant lineages.
Area of Science:
- Plant biology
- Mechanobiology
- Evolutionary biology
Background:
- Mechanical forces are fundamental cellular stimuli influencing organismal evolution.
- Plant cell and molecular mechanobiology has advanced significantly using model systems.
- Evolutionary mechanobiology (evo-mechano) offers a new framework to integrate evolutionary perspectives.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and define evolutionary mechanobiology (evo-mechano).
- To outline key research themes within evo-mechano.
- To use plastid evo-mechano as a case study to illustrate these themes.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of plastid mechanosensing across different plant lineages.
- Investigation of variations in mechanical properties of plastids among lineages.
- Examination of the role of plastids in graviperception.
Main Results:
- Plastids exhibit diverse mechanisms for perceiving their mechanical environments.
- Significant variations exist in plastid mechanical properties across plant evolutionary lineages.
- Plastids play distinct roles in plant graviperception.
Conclusions:
- Plastid evo-mechano provides a model for understanding evolutionary adaptations to mechanical stimuli.
- Future research on plant biomechanics and mechanosignaling over 1.5 billion years will illuminate universal and unique plant adaptations.
- Evo-mechano research enriches our understanding of plant responses to the physical environment.
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