Department of Biology, University of Pisa, SS12 Abetone e Brennero 4, 56127 Pisa, Italy.
Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Oct 28;21(21):8009. doi: 10.3390/ijms21218009.
Neurons are mechanosensitive cells. The role of mechanical force in the process of neurite initiation, elongation and sprouting; nerve fasciculation; and neuron maturation continues to attract considerable interest among scientists. Force is an endogenous signal that stimulates all these processes in vivo. The axon is able to sense force, generate force and, ultimately, transduce the force in a signal for growth. This opens up fascinating scenarios. How are forces generated and sensed in vivo? Which molecular mechanisms are responsible for this mechanotransduction signal? Can we exploit exogenously applied forces to mimic and control this process? How can these extremely low forces be generated in vivo in a non-invasive manner? Can these methodologies for force generation be used in regenerative therapies? This review addresses these questions, providing a general overview of current knowledge on the applications of exogenous forces to manipulate axonal outgrowth, with a special focus on forces whose magnitude is similar to those generated in vivo. We also review the principal methodologies for applying these forces, providing new inspiration and insights into the potential of this approach for future regenerative therapies.
神经元是机械敏感细胞。机械力在轴突起始、延伸和发芽；神经束集结；以及神经元成熟过程中的作用，仍然吸引着科学家们的极大兴趣。力是一种内源性信号，刺激体内所有这些过程。轴突能够感知力、产生力，并最终将力转化为生长信号。这开辟了引人入胜的场景。力在体内是如何产生和感知的？哪些分子机制负责这种力转导信号？我们能否利用外加的力来模拟和控制这个过程？如何在非侵入性的情况下在体内产生这些极低的力？这些产生力的方法能否用于再生治疗？本综述探讨了这些问题，提供了关于应用外源性力来操纵轴突生长的当前知识的概述，特别关注那些与体内产生的力相似的力。我们还回顾了施加这些力的主要方法，为这种方法在未来再生治疗中的潜力提供了新的灵感和见解。
