Sensing forces: How plants convert mechanical cues into biological responses
Pauline Vinet1, Jean-Marie Frachisse1, Sébastien Thomine1
1Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS UMR 9198, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91190 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
Developmental Cell
|June 10, 2026
Summary
Plants sense mechanical forces through mechanotransduction, enabling adaptive development. This process decodes diverse mechanical signals for survival and plasticity in changing environments.
Area of Science:
- Plant biology
- Mechanobiology
- Cellular signaling
Background:
- Plants face mechanical constraints from environmental factors and growth processes.
- Sensing these mechanical cues is vital for plant development and environmental adaptation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an overview of mechanical constraints on plants at various scales.
- To explore the mechanisms of mechanotransduction in plants.
- To discuss the downstream responses to mechanical stimuli.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on plant mechanobiology.
- Analysis of mechanical constraints from organelle to organ levels.
- Examination of distinct mechanotransduction pathways.
Main Results:
- Identified mechanical constraints across multiple plant scales.
- Highlighted mechanotransduction modes involving lipid sensing, cell wall status, and cytoskeletal reorganization.
- Detailed diverse downstream responses and their temporal dynamics.
Conclusions:
- Plant mechanotransduction involves diverse sensing mechanisms.
- Plants can decode specific mechanical signatures (intensity, duration, frequency).
- This decoding enables adaptive cellular and developmental responses for plasticity.
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