Zhu Hongyuan, Miao Run, Wang Jin, Lin Min
The Key Laboratory of Biomedical Information Engineering of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, PR China.
Bioinspired Engineering and Biomechanics Center (BEBC), Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, PR China.
Mechanobiol Med. 2024 Jan 26;2(1):100040. doi: 10.1016/j.mbm.2024.100040. eCollection 2024 Mar.
Mechanical models offer a quantitative framework for understanding scientific problems, predicting novel phenomena, and guiding experimental designs. Over the past few decades, the emerging field of cellular mechanobiology has greatly benefited from the substantial contributions of new theoretical tools grounded in mechanical models. Within the expansive realm of mechanobiology, the investigation of how cells sense and respond to their microenvironment has become a prominent research focus. There is a growing acknowledgment that cells mechanically interact with their external surroundings through an integrated machinery encompassing the cell membrane, cytoskeleton, and nucleus. This review provides a comprehensive overview of mechanical models addressing three pivotal components crucial for force transmission within cells, extending from mechanosensitive receptors on the cell membrane to the actomyosin cytoskeleton and ultimately to the nucleus. We present the existing numerical relationships that form the basis for understanding the structures, mechanical properties, and functions of these components. Additionally, we underscore the significance of developing mechanical models in advancing cellular mechanobiology and propose potential directions for the evolution of these models.
力学模型为理解科学问题、预测新现象和指导实验设计提供了一个定量框架。在过去几十年里，新兴的细胞力学生物学领域极大地受益于基于力学模型的新理论工具所做出的重大贡献。在力学生物学的广阔领域中，研究细胞如何感知和响应其微环境已成为一个突出的研究重点。人们越来越认识到，细胞通过一个包括细胞膜、细胞骨架和细胞核的整合机制与外部环境进行机械相互作用。本综述全面概述了力学模型，这些模型涉及细胞内力传递的三个关键组成部分，从细胞膜上的机械敏感受体延伸到肌动球蛋白细胞骨架，最终到细胞核。我们展示了现有的数值关系，这些关系构成了理解这些组成部分的结构、力学性质和功能的基础。此外，我们强调了开发力学模型在推进细胞力学生物学方面的重要性，并提出了这些模型发展的潜在方向。
