Schwarz Ulrich
University of Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 293, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
Soft Matter. 2007 Feb 14;3(3):263-266. doi: 10.1039/b606409d.
This contribution highlights recent advances in our understanding of the relation between soft matter and biological systems. We first discuss the physical scales of living cells which follow from simple scaling arguments developed in soft matter physics. Then we discuss the way cells sense and react to extracellular stiffness as revealed by recent experiments with soft elastic substrates. Theoretical modelling allows addressing of the physical basis of the underlying mechanotransduction processes and its consequences for the organization of single cells and cell communities in soft environments. In the future, these efforts will also lead to an improved understanding of physiological and artificial tissue.
本文着重介绍了我们在理解软物质与生物系统之间关系方面的最新进展。我们首先讨论活细胞的物理尺度，这是基于软物质物理学中简单的标度论证得出的。然后我们讨论细胞如何感知细胞外硬度并做出反应，这是最近用软弹性基质进行的实验所揭示的。理论建模有助于探讨潜在机械转导过程的物理基础及其对软环境中单个细胞和细胞群落组织的影响。未来，这些研究还将有助于更好地理解生理组织和人造组织。
