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Updated: Jun 25, 2025

Author Spotlight: Advancing Tendon Research by Developing Mouse Assembloids to Understand Cellular Mechanisms
Published on: March 22, 2024
The role of mechanotransduction in tendon
Ryo Nakamichi1,2,3, Hiroshi Asahara1,2
1Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Scripps Research, 10550 North Torrey Pines Road, MBB-102, La Jolla, CA 92037, United States.
Abstract:
Tendons play an important role in the maintenance of motor function by connecting muscles and bones and transmitting forces. Particularly, the role of mechanical stress has primarily focused on the key mechanism of tendon homeostasis, with much research on this topic. With the recent development of molecular biological techniques, the mechanisms of mechanical stress sensing and signal transduction have been gradually elucidated with the identification of mechanosensor in tendon cells and the master regulator in tendon development. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the structure and function of tendon tissue, including the role for physical performance and the detailed mechanism of mechanotransduction in its regulation. An important lesson is that the role of mechanotransduction in tendon tissue is only partially clarified, indicating the complexity of the mechanisms of motor function and fueling increasing interest in uncovering these mechanisms.
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