title: Mechanotransduction in striated muscle via focal adhesion kinase.
abstract: Contractile tissues demonstrate a pronounced capacity to remodel their composition in response to mechanical challenges. Descriptive evidence suggests the upstream involvement of the phosphotransfer enzyme FAK (focal adhesion kinase) in the molecular control of load-dependent muscle plasticity. Thereby FAK evolves as a myocellular transducer of mechanical signals towards downstream transcript expression in myofibres. Recent advances in somatic gene therapy now allow the exploration of the functional involvement of this enzyme in mechanotransduction in intact muscle.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Anatomy, University of Berne, Berne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Durieux
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Desplanches
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Freyssenet
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Flück
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D051416:Focal Adhesion Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D040542:Mechanotransduction, Cellular; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000166:cytology* / Q000201:enzymology
chemical_list: D051416:Focal Adhesion Protein-Tyrosine Kinases