title: Mechanical dynamics in live cells and fluorescence-based force/tension sensors.
abstract: Three signaling systems play the fundamental roles in modulating cell activities: chemical, electrical, and mechanical. While the former two are well studied, the mechanical signaling system is still elusive because of the lack of methods to measure structural forces in real time at cellular and subcellular levels. Indeed, almost all biological processes are responsive to modulation by mechanical forces that trigger dispersive downstream electrical and biochemical pathways. Communication among the three systems is essential to make cells and tissues receptive to environmental changes. Cells have evolved many sophisticated mechanisms for the generation, perception and transduction of mechanical forces, including motor proteins and mechanosensors. In this review, we introduce some background information about mechanical dynamics in live cells, including the ubiquitous mechanical activity, various types of mechanical stimuli exerted on cells and the different mechanosensors. We also summarize recent results obtained using genetically encoded FRET (fluorescence resonance energy transfer)-based force/tension sensors; a new technique used to measure mechanical forces in structural proteins. The sensors have been incorporated into many specific structural proteins and have measured the force gradients in real time within live cells, tissues, and animals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, PR China.
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, PR China.
authors.forename: Xiaohan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35401, USA.
authors.forename: Yichen
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Physiology and Biophysics Department, Center for Single Molecule Studies, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14214, USA.
authors.forename: Fanjie
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.affiliation: Physiology and Biophysics Department, Center for Single Molecule Studies, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14214, USA.
authors.forename: Frederick
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sachs
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, PR China. Electronic address: Guoj@njmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002468:Cell Physiological Phenomena; D005453:Fluorescence; D031541:Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer; D006801:Humans; D055595:Mechanical Phenomena; D008465:Mechanoreceptors / Q000502:physiology; D040542:Mechanotransduction, Cellular / Q000502:physiology*; D013314:Stress, Mechanical
keywords: Fluorescence-based force sensors; Mechanical dynamics; Mechanosensors; Motor proteins; Structural force