nl7b04982_si_001.mp4 (139.88 MB)
Cell–Extracellular Matrix Mechanobiology: Forceful Tools and Emerging Needs for Basic and Translational Research
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posted on 2017-11-27, 00:00 authored by Andrew
W. Holle, Jennifer L. Young, Krystyn J. Van Vliet, Roger D. Kamm, Dennis Discher, Paul Janmey, Joachim P. Spatz, Taher SaifExtracellular biophysical cues have
a profound influence on a wide
range of cell behaviors, including growth, motility, differentiation,
apoptosis, gene expression, adhesion, and signal transduction. Cells
not only respond to definitively mechanical cues from the extracellular
matrix (ECM) but can also sometimes alter the mechanical properties
of the matrix and hence influence subsequent matrix-based cues in
both physiological and pathological processes. Interactions between
cells and materials in vitro can modify cell phenotype and ECM structure,
whether intentionally or inadvertently. Interactions between cell
and matrix mechanics in vivo are of particular importance in a wide
variety of disorders, including cancer, central nervous system injury,
fibrotic diseases, and myocardial infarction. Both the in vitro and
in vivo effects of this coupling between mechanics and biology hold
important implications for clinical applications.