Volokh K Y
Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology.
Mol Cell Biomech. 2011 Sep;8(3):195-214.
All models are wrong, but some are useful. This famous saying mirrors the situation in cell mechanics as well. It looks like no particular model of the cell deformability can be unconditionally preferred over others and different models reveal different aspects of the mechanical behavior of living cells. The purpose of the present work is to discuss the so-called tensegrity models of the cell cytoskeleton. It seems that the role of the cytoskeleton in the overall mechanical response of the cell was not appreciated until Donald Ingber put a strong emphasis on it. It was fortunate that Ingber linked the cytoskeletal structure to the fascinating art of tensegrity architecture. This link sparked interest and argument among biologists, physicists, mathematicians, and engineers. At some point the enthusiasm regarding tensegrity perhaps became overwhelming and as a reaction to that some skepticism built up. To demystify Ingber's ideas the present work aims at pinpointing the meaning of tensegrity and its role in our understanding of the importance of the cytoskeleton for the cell deformability and motility. It should be noted also that this paper emphasizes basic ideas rather than carefully follows the chronology of the development of tensegrity models. The latter can be found in the comprehensive review by Dimitrije Stamenovic (2006) to which the present work is complementary.
所有模型都是错误的，但有些是有用的。这句名言同样也反映了细胞力学中的情况。看起来没有哪种特定的细胞可变形性模型能无条件地比其他模型更受青睐，不同的模型揭示了活细胞力学行为的不同方面。本工作的目的是讨论细胞骨架的所谓张拉整体模型。在唐纳德·英格伯大力强调之前，细胞骨架在细胞整体力学响应中的作用似乎并未得到重视。幸运的是，英格伯将细胞骨架结构与引人入胜的张拉整体建筑艺术联系了起来。这种联系在生物学家、物理学家、数学家和工程师中引发了兴趣和争论。在某个时候，对张拉整体的热情可能变得过于高涨，作为对此的一种反应，一些怀疑情绪逐渐积累。为了揭开英格伯观点的神秘面纱，本工作旨在明确张拉整体的含义及其在我们理解细胞骨架对细胞可变形性和运动性的重要性方面所起的作用。还应注意的是，本文强调的是基本观点，而不是严格按照张拉整体模型发展的时间顺序。后者可在迪米特里耶·斯塔梅诺维奇（2006年）的全面综述中找到，本工作是对该综述的补充。
