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Cells under pressure: how yeast cells respond to mechanical forces
Ranjan Mishra1, Nicolas Minc2, Matthias Peter1
1Institute of Biochemistry, ETH Zürich, Otto-Stern-Weg-3, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland.
Trends in Microbiology
|January 10, 2022
Summary
Fungal microbes sense and respond to mechanical forces like fluid flow and cell growth. This helps them adapt, grow, and invade host tissues by remodeling their cell walls.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Biophysics
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Unicellular fungi face mechanical forces (shear, osmotic, contact) in their habitats.
- Cell wall rigidity is crucial for fungal survival but challenges growth and division.
- Fungi possess signaling networks to detect and react to mechanical stimuli.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review mechanical forces on yeast.
- To explore how these forces affect cell polarity.
- To describe fungal invasion mechanisms and mechanosensing pathways.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of yeast mechanobiology.
- Analysis of cell polarity and fungal pathogenesis.
- Description of mechanosensor and mechanotransduction pathways.
Main Results:
- Mechanical forces influence yeast cell polarity.
- Pathogenic fungi utilize polarized growth for host tissue penetration.
- Conserved mechanosensors and downstream pathways mediate cellular responses.
Conclusions:
- Yeast have evolved sophisticated mechanisms to sense and respond to mechanical cues.
- Understanding these pathways is key to fungal adaptation and pathogenicity.
- Mechanotransduction enhances fungal mechanical fitness and survival.
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