title: Balancing forces: architectural control of mechanotransduction.
abstract: All cells exist within the context of a three-dimensional microenvironment in which they are exposed to mechanical and physical cues. These cues can be disrupted through perturbations to mechanotransduction, from the nanoscale-level to the tissue-level, which compromises tensional homeostasis to promote pathologies such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. The mechanisms of such perturbations suggest that a complex interplay exists between the extracellular microenvironment and cellular function. Furthermore, sustained disruptions in tensional homeostasis can be caused by alterations in the extracellular matrix, allowing it to serve as a mechanically based memory-storage device that can perpetuate a disease or restore normal tissue behaviour.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Center for Bioengineering and Tissue Regeneration, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), CA, USA.
authors.forename: Christopher C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: DuFort
authors.forename: Matthew J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Paszek
authors.forename: Valerie M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Weaver
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000502:physiology; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000502:physiology*; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007365:Intercellular Junctions / Q000502:physiology*; D040542:Mechanotransduction, Cellular / Q000502:physiology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D013314:Stress, Mechanical