Siedlik Michael J, Varner Victor D, Nelson Celeste M
Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, United States.
Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, United States; Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, United States.
Methods. 2016 Feb 1;94:4-12. doi: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2015.08.019. Epub 2015 Aug 28.
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.
机械转导通常是在力诱导分子构象变化的背景下进行描述的，但分子尺度的机械刺激是在复杂的多细胞组织结构的体内环境中产生的。因此，我们重点介绍并综述了用于研究跨多个长度尺度的机械转导的实验方法。我们首先讨论探测单个分子对施加力的响应的技术。然后，我们在长度尺度上逐步深入，重点介绍旨在揭示细胞如何将机械刺激转化为生化活性的技术。最后，我们讨论确定这些刺激如何在多细胞结构中产生的方法。我们预计未来的工作将结合这些长度尺度上的技术，以更全面地理解机械转导。
