title: Pushing, pulling, and squeezing our way to understanding mechanotransduction.
abstract: Mechanotransduction is often described in the context of force-induced changes in molecular conformation, but molecular-scale mechanical stimuli arise in vivo in the context of complex, multicellular tissue structures. For this reason, we highlight and review experimental methods for investigating mechanotransduction across multiple length scales. We begin by discussing techniques that probe the response of individual molecules to applied force. We then move up in length scale to highlight techniques aimed at uncovering how cells transduce mechanical stimuli into biochemical activity. Finally, we discuss approaches for determining how these stimuli arise in multicellular structures. We expect that future work will combine techniques across these length scales to provide a more comprehensive understanding of mechanotransduction.
authors: Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, United States.
authors: Michael J
authors: MJ
authors: Siedlik
authors: Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, United States.
authors: Victor D
authors: VD
authors: Varner
authors: Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, United States; Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, United States. Electronic address: celesten@princeton.edu.
authors: Celeste M
authors: CM
authors: Nelson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000502:physiology; D031541:Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer; D006801:Humans; D040542:Mechanotransduction, Cellular; D018625:Microscopy, Atomic Force
keywords: Mechanical stress; Morphogenesis