Molecular Cell Biomechanics Laboratory, Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-1762, USA.
Wiley Interdiscip Rev Syst Biol Med. 2010 Nov-Dec;2(6):625-39. doi: 10.1002/wsbm.79.
In nearly all aspects of biology, forces are a relevant regulator of life's form and function. More recently, science has established that cells are exquisitely sensitive to forces of varying magnitudes and time scales, and they convert mechanical stimuli into a chemical response. This phenomenon, termed mechanotransduction, is an integral part of cellular physiology and has a profound impact on the development of the organism. Furthermore, malfunctioning mechanical properties or mechanotransduction often leads to pathology of the organism. In this review, we describe mechanotransduction and the theories underlying how forces may be sensed, from the molecular to organism scale. The influence of mechanotransduction on normal and abnormal development, such as stem cell differentiation and cancer, is also reviewed. Studies illustrate the diversity of mechanotransduction, and the major role it has on organism homeostasis. Cells employ a variety of mechanisms, which differ depending upon cell type and environment, to sense and respond to forces.
在生物学的几乎所有方面，力都是生命形态和功能的一个相关调节因素。最近，科学已经确定细胞对不同大小和时间尺度的力极其敏感，并且它们将机械刺激转化为化学响应。这种现象称为机械转导，是细胞生理学的一个组成部分，对生物体的发育有深远的影响。此外，机械性能故障或机械转导常常导致生物体的病理。在这篇综述中，我们描述了机械转导以及力如何从分子到生物体尺度被感知的理论。机械转导对正常和异常发育的影响，如干细胞分化和癌症，也进行了综述。研究说明了机械转导的多样性，以及它在生物体稳态中所起的主要作用。细胞采用多种机制来感知和响应力，这些机制因细胞类型和环境而异。
