Pushing, pulling, and squeezing our way to understanding mechanotransduction.

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.

Journal
Methods
Volume
94
Pages
4-12
Date Published
2016 Feb 01
ISSN Number
1095-9130
Alternate Journal
Methods
PMCID
PMC4761538
PMID
26318086