title: From mechanical force to RhoA activation.
abstract: Throughout their lives, all cells constantly experience and respond to various mechanical forces. These frequently originate externally but can also arise internally as a result of the contractile actin cytoskeleton. Mechanical forces trigger multiple signaling pathways. Several converge and result in the activation of the GTPase RhoA. In this review, we focus on the pathways by which mechanical force leads to RhoA regulation, especially when force is transmitted via cell adhesion molecules that mediate either cell-matrix or cell-cell interactions. We discuss both the upstream signaling events that lead to activation of RhoA and the downstream consequences of this pathway. These include not only cytoskeletal reorganization and, in a positive feedback loop, increased myosin-generated contraction but also profound effects on gene expression and differentiation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Lessey
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guilluy
authors.forename: Keith
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Burridge
mesh_terms: D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules / Q000737:chemistry; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000737:chemistry; D022001:Focal Adhesions; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D020742:rhoA GTP-Binding Protein / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D015815:Cell Adhesion Molecules; D020742:rhoA GTP-Binding Protein