Ham Trevor R, Collins Kasie L, Hoffman Brenton D
Duke University, Room 1379 CIEMAS, 101 Science Drive, 27710, United States.
Curr Opin Biomed Eng. 2019 Dec;12:83-94. doi: 10.1016/j.cobme.2019.10.003. Epub 2019 Oct 19.
Nearly all cellular processes are sensitive to mechanical inputs, and this plays a major role in diverse physiological processes. Mechanical stimuli are thought to be primarily detected through force-induced changes in protein structure. Approximately a decade ago, molecular tension sensors were created to measure forces across proteins within cells. Since then, an impressive assortment of sensors has been created and provided key insights into mechanotransduction, but comparisons of measurements between various sensors are challenging. In this review, we discuss the different types of molecular tension sensors, provide a system of classification based on their molecular-scale mechanical properties, and highlight how new applications of these sensors are enabling measurements beyond the magnitude of tensile load. We suggest that an expanded understanding of the functionality of these sensors, as well as integration with other techniques, will lead to consensus amongst measurements as well as critical insights into the underlying mechanisms of mechanotransduction.
几乎所有细胞过程都对机械输入敏感，这在多种生理过程中起着重要作用。机械刺激被认为主要是通过蛋白质结构中力诱导的变化来检测的。大约十年前，人们创建了分子张力传感器来测量细胞内蛋白质上的力。从那时起，已经创建了一系列令人印象深刻的传感器，并为机械转导提供了关键见解，但不同传感器之间的测量比较具有挑战性。在这篇综述中，我们讨论了不同类型的分子张力传感器，根据它们的分子尺度机械特性提供了一种分类系统，并强调了这些传感器的新应用如何实现超出拉伸负荷大小的测量。我们认为，对这些传感器功能的更深入理解，以及与其他技术的整合，将导致测量结果的一致性，并对机械转导的潜在机制有重要见解。
