title: Molecular-Scale Tools for Studying Mechanotransduction.
abstract: Mechanical stimuli are known to be potent regulators of the form and function of cells and organisms. Although biological regulation has classically been understood in terms of principles from solution biochemistry, advancements in many fields have led to the development of a suite of techniques that are able to reveal the interplay between mechanical loading and changes in the biochemical properties of proteins in systems ranging from single molecules to living organisms. Here, we review these techniques and highlight the emergence of a new molecular-scale understanding of the mechanisms mediating the detection and response of cells to mechanical stimuli, a process termed mechanotransduction. Specifically, we focus on the role of subcellular adhesion structures in sensing the stiffness of the surrounding environment because this process is pertinent to applications in tissue engineering as well the onset of several mechanosensitive disease states, including cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708; email: bdh24@duke.edu.
authors.forename: Andrew S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: LaCroix
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708; email: bdh24@duke.edu.
authors.forename: Katheryn E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Rothenberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708; email: bdh24@duke.edu.
authors.forename: Brenton D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Hoffman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001698:Biomedical Engineering; D005109:Extracellular Matrix / Q000502:physiology; D036681:Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching; D022001:Focal Adhesions / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D040542:Mechanotransduction, Cellular / Q000502:physiology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D025941:Protein Interaction Mapping; D015398:Signal Transduction
keywords: focal adhesions; mechanobiology; molecular clutch; rigidity sensing