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Updated: Sep 13, 2025

A Mouse Model of Mechanotransduction-driven, Human-like Hypertrophic Scarring
Published on: November 29, 2024
Mathematical modelling of mechanotransduction via RhoA signalling pathways
Sofie Verhees1, Chandrasekhar Venkataraman2, Mariya Ptashnyk1
1Department of Mathematics, Heriot-Watt University, The Maxwell Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
We derive and simulate a mathematical model for mechanotransduction related to the Rho GTPase signalling pathway. The model addresses the bidirectional coupling between signalling processes and cell mechanics. A numerical method based on bulk-surface finite elements is proposed for the approximation of the coupled system of nonlinear reaction-diffusion equations, defined inside the cell and on the cell membrane, and the equations of elasticity. Our simulation results illustrate novel emergent features such as the strong dependence of the dynamics on cell shape, a threshold-like response to changes in substrate stiffness, and the fact that coupling mechanics and signalling can lead to the robustness of cell deformation to larger changes in substrate stiffness, ensuring mechanical homeostasis in agreement with experiments.
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