Jurchenko Carol, Salaita Khalid S
Department of Chemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
Department of Chemistry, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Mol Cell Biol. 2015 Aug;35(15):2570-82. doi: 10.1128/MCB.00195-15. Epub 2015 Jun 1.
The ability of cells to sense the physical nature of their surroundings is critical to the survival of multicellular organisms. Cellular response to physical cues from adjacent cells and the extracellular matrix leads to a dynamic cycle in which cells respond by remodeling their local microenvironment, fine-tuning cell stiffness, polarity, and shape. Mechanical regulation is important in cellular development, normal morphogenesis, and wound healing. The mechanisms by which these finely balanced mechanotransduction events occur, however, are not well understood. In large part, this is due to the limited availability of tools to study molecular mechanotransduction events in live cells. Several classes of molecular tension probes have been recently developed which are rapidly transforming the study of mechanotransduction. Molecular tension probes are primarily based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) and report on piconewton scale tension events in live cells. In this minireview, we describe the two main classes of tension probes, genetically encoded tension sensors and immobilized tension sensors, and discuss the advantages and limitations of each type. We discuss future opportunities to address major biological questions and outline the challenges facing the next generation of molecular tension probes.
细胞感知周围环境物理性质的能力对于多细胞生物的生存至关重要。细胞对来自相邻细胞和细胞外基质的物理信号的反应会导致一个动态循环，即细胞通过重塑其局部微环境、微调细胞硬度、极性和形状来做出反应。机械调节在细胞发育、正常形态发生和伤口愈合中很重要。然而，这些精细平衡的机械转导事件发生的机制尚未得到很好的理解。在很大程度上，这是由于研究活细胞中分子机械转导事件的工具有限。最近开发了几类分子张力探针，它们正在迅速改变机械转导的研究。分子张力探针主要基于荧光共振能量转移（FRET），并报告活细胞中皮牛顿级的张力事件。在本综述中，我们描述了两类主要的张力探针，即基因编码张力传感器和固定化张力传感器，并讨论了每种类型的优缺点。我们讨论了解决主要生物学问题的未来机会，并概述了下一代分子张力探针面临的挑战。
