Li Yiwei, Tang Wenhui, Guo Ming
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Matter. 2021 Jun 2;4(6):1863-1891. doi: 10.1016/j.matt.2021.03.013.
Viewing cell as matter to understand the intracellular biomolecular processes and multicellular tissue behavior represents an emerging research area at the interface of physics and biology. Cellular material displays various physical and mechanical properties, which can strongly affect both intracellular and multicellular biological events. This review provides a summary of how cells, as matter, connect molecular biology to cellular and multicellular scale functions. As an impact in molecular biology, we review recent progresses in utilizing cellular material properties to direct cell fate decisions in the communities of immune cells, neurons, stem cells, and cancer cells. Finally, we provide an outlook on how to integrate cellular material properties in developing biophysical methods for engineered living systems, regenerative medicine, and disease treatments.
将细胞视为物质来理解细胞内生物分子过程和多细胞组织行为，是物理学与生物学交叉领域中一个新兴的研究方向。细胞物质展现出各种物理和机械特性，这些特性会对细胞内和多细胞生物事件产生重大影响。本综述总结了细胞作为物质如何将分子生物学与细胞及多细胞尺度的功能联系起来。作为对分子生物学的影响，我们回顾了利用细胞物质特性在免疫细胞、神经元、干细胞和癌细胞群体中指导细胞命运决定方面的最新进展。最后，我们展望了如何在开发用于工程化生命系统、再生医学和疾病治疗的生物物理方法中整合细胞物质特性。
