Pushing, pulling, and squeezing our way to understanding mechanotransduction. Author Michael Siedlik, Victor Varner, Celeste Nelson Publication Year 2016 Type Journal Article Abstract Mechanotransduction is often described in the context of force-induced changes in molecular conformation, but molecular-scale mechanical stimuli arise in vivo in the context of complex, multicellular tissue structures. For this reason, we highlight and review experimental methods for investigating mechanotransduction across multiple length scales. We begin by discussing techniques that probe the response of individual molecules to applied force. We then move up in length scale to highlight techniques aimed at uncovering how cells transduce mechanical stimuli into biochemical activity. Finally, we discuss approaches for determining how these stimuli arise in multicellular structures. We expect that future work will combine techniques across these length scales to provide a more comprehensive understanding of mechanotransduction. Keywords Animals, Biomechanical Phenomena, Humans, Microscopy, Atomic Force, Cells, Cultured, Epithelial Cells, Mechanotransduction, Cellular, Cell Culture Techniques, Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer Journal Methods Volume 94 Pages 4-12 Date Published 2016 Feb 01 ISSN Number 1095-9130 DOI 10.1016/j.ymeth.2015.08.019 Alternate Journal Methods PMCID PMC4761538 PMID 26318086 PubMedPubMed CentralGoogle ScholarBibTeXEndNote X3 XML