Mechanisms of Mechanotransduction, 2006

Topics: Mechanotransduction, Focal adhesion, Extracellular matrix, Cytoskeleton

Authors: A. Wayne Orr, Brian P. Helmke, Brett R. Blackman and Martin A. Schwartz

Abstract

Essentially all organisms from bacteria to humans are mechanosensitive. Physical forces regulate a large array of physiological processes, and dysregulation of mechanical responses contributes to major human diseases. A survey of both specialized and widely expressed mechanosensitive systems suggests that physical forces provide a general means of altering protein conformation to generate signals. Specialized systems differ mainly in having acquired efficient mechanisms for transferring forces to the mechano-transducers.

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