CRTP Scholars, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
CRTP Scholars, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA.
Reprod Sci. 2014 Sep;21(9):1093-107. doi: 10.1177/1933719114542023. Epub 2014 Jul 6.
The organs of the female reproductive system are among the most dynamic tissues in the human body, undergoing repeated cycles of growth and involution from puberty through menopause. To achieve such impressive plasticity, reproductive tissues must respond not only to soluble signals (hormones, growth factors, and cytokines) but also to physical cues (mechanical forces and osmotic stress) as well. Here, we review the mechanisms underlying the process of mechanotransduction-how signals are conveyed from the extracellular matrix that surrounds the cells of reproductive tissues to the downstream molecules and signaling pathways that coordinate the cellular adaptive response to external forces. Our objective was to examine how mechanical forces contribute significantly to physiological functions and pathogenesis in reproductive tissues. We highlight how widespread diseases of the reproductive tract, from preterm labor to tumors of the uterus and breast, result from an impairment in mechanical signaling.
女性生殖系统的器官是人体中最具活力的组织之一，从青春期到绝经期，它们经历着反复的生长和退化周期。为了实现如此惊人的可塑性，生殖组织不仅必须对可溶性信号（激素、生长因子和细胞因子）做出反应，还必须对物理线索（机械力和渗透压）做出反应。在这里，我们回顾了机械转导过程的机制——细胞外基质中的信号如何传递到生殖组织细胞周围的下游分子和信号通路，以协调细胞对外部力的适应性反应。我们的目的是研究机械力如何对生殖组织的生理功能和发病机制产生重大影响。我们强调了生殖道的广泛疾病（从早产到子宫和乳房肿瘤）如何是由于机械信号的损伤而导致的。
