Biotensegrity—The Structure of Life
David Lesondak, Angeli Maun Akey in Fascia, Function, and Medical Applications, 2020
Overall, tensegrity is an energy efficient force transmission system dissipating both internal and external forces via changes in tension and compression.11 In a living structure, a biotensegrity, changes in tension and compression have been observed to be translated into changes in chemistry and metabolism.12 Additionally, changes in electromagnetic forces, light and auditory emissions, weak biophoton emissions,13 and overall cell expression through mechanosensitive pathways14 have been observed. The popular term to describe this physiological process is mechanotransduction.15 Mechanotransduction involves a series of biological processes that translate mechanical forces into signals sensed by specific cell receptors that convert mechanical signals into a biochemical cellular response resulting in gene activation.13–15
Eukaryotic Mechanosensitive Ion Channels
Tian-Le Xu, Long-Jun Wu in Nonclassical Ion Channels in the Nervous System, 2021
Cells communicate via electrical and chemical signals. Many ion channels have been identified that are dedicated to this process. Cells are also subjected to the mechanical environment and can translate mechanical forces into biological signals, known as mechanotransduction. Mechanotransduction is critical for a wide range of physiological processes in all organisms. For instance, the senses of touch, proprioception, mechanical pain, hearing, and balance depend on mechanically activated (MA) ion channels [1]. Besides sensory systems, mechanotransduction is involved in diverse physiological functions, including cardiovascular tone and blood flow regulation, bone and muscle homeostasis, and stretch sensation of internal organs [1]. Many membrane proteins are involved in mechanotransduction, including ion channels, G-protein-coupled receptors, specialized cytoskeletal proteins, cell junction molecules, and kinases [2]. Among all the mechanosensitive molecules, MA ion channels convert mechanical forces into electrical signals within mini-seconds [2], which is particularly suitable for the fast signaling that occurs in the sensory process involved in touch, hearing, cardiopulmonary regulation, and internal organ stretch sensing.
Mechanotransduction Mechanisms of Hypertrophy and Performance with Resistance Exercise
Peter M. Tiidus, Rebecca E. K. MacPherson, Paul J. LeBlanc, Andrea R. Josse in The Routledge Handbook on Biochemistry of Exercise, 2020
Life on earth has evolved in the presence of a constant gravitational force, 9.8 m/s2 to be exact. Like all evolutionary selective pressures, this specific stimulus necessitated both unicellular and multicellular organisms to sense and respond to its physical environment in a concerted, functional manner. Throughout time, the human body has done just that; it has developed structures such as the otoliths in hair cells to sense gravity and maintain equilibrium; it has equipped cells with a structural framework to sense and transmit changes in cellular tension such as the cytoskeleton; and it has developed small contractile units, such as the sarcomere, as a means to overcome gravitational force and allow locomotion through muscle contraction (127). Thus, the evolution of mechanosensation and transduction is at the foundation of cellular communication. While the significance of cellular mechanotransduction is readily agreed, the mechanisms through which the cell, and more specifically the muscle cell, can respond to an external stimulus is still under intense investigation. Mechanotransduction, defined as the ability of a cell to sense and respond to a mechanical stimulus (78), can be separated into two non-exclusive pathways; specifically, biochemical and biophysical mechanotransduction.
Regulation of follicle growth through hormonal factors and mechanical cues mediated by Hippo signaling pathway
Published in Systems Biology in Reproductive Medicine, 2018
Ikko Kawashima, Kazuhiro Kawamura
Understanding how physical forces and changes in the mechanical properties of cells and tissues contribute to cell proliferation and differentiation is an emerging field of science called mechanobiology. The ongoing challenge in this field is the elucidation of mechanotransduction, namely the molecular mechanisms by which cells sense and respond to mechanical signals [Ingber 1997]. The Hippo signaling pathway is one of the key players in mechanotransduction and regulates mammalian cell proliferation and apoptosis for maintaining organ size [Halder and Johnson 2011; Hergovich 2012; Pan 2007]. Hippo signaling consists of many negative growth regulators, including macrophage stimulating (MST1/2), Salvador 1 (SAV 1), and large tumor-suppressor homolog (LATS 1/2) acting in a serine/threonine kinase cascade that phosphorylates and then inactivate key transcriptional coactivators, Yes-associated protein (YAP), and transcriptional coactivator with PDZ binding motif (TAZ). Once Hippo signaling is disrupted by physical forces, nonphosphorylated YAP or TAZ accumulates in the nucleus and acts to stimulate the production of downstream factors, such as connective tissue (CCN) growth factors and baculoviral inhibitors of apoptosis repeat containing (BIRC) (Figure 1) apoptosis inhibitors [Pan 2007].
Mechano-gated channels in C. elegans
Published in Journal of Neurogenetics, 2020
Mechano-gated channels are evolutionarily conserved mechanical gates regulating mechanosensation like touch, hearing and proprioception (Kung, 2005). Through mechanotransduction process, gated ion channels convert mechanical stimuli into electrochemical signals thereby triggering mechanosensation. When a mechanical stimulus is applied, membrane tension or force spring leads to structural deformation of the gated protein. As such, the gated channel opens in order to allow the flow of ions to generate graded receptor potentials which triggers mechanosensation (Marshall & Lumpkin, 2012). Bacterial mechanosensitive channels (MscL, MscS and MscM) in E.coli are gated by changes of membrane tension forming non-selective pores through which hydrated ions and solutes can flow, and act as osmosensors for turgor control (Rasmussen & Rasmussen, 2018). In eukaryotes, a few cation-selective channels — degenerin and epithelial sodium channels (DEG/ENaC), N-type Transient receptor potential (TRPN), two-pore potassium channels (K2P), transmembrane-like proteins (TMC) and Piezo have been classified as bona fide mechano-gated channels (Delmas & Coste, 2013; Jin, Jan, & Jan, 2020). It is still enigmatic whether any anion channel such as chlorides can characterize mechano-gated channels.
miR-149-3p suppressed epithelial–mesenchymal transition and tumor development in acute myeloid leukemia
Published in Hematology, 2021
Yaoyao Tian, Yongfang Jiang, Xiushuai Dong, Yuying Chang, Jia Chi, Xi Chen
ETM plays an important role in embryonic development, chronic inflammation, tissue reconstruction, cancer metastasis and multiple fibrotic diseases. This study demonstrated that miR-149-3p inhibited EMT in U-937 cells by upregulating E-cadherin and downregulating vimentin, consistent with a previous study showing that miR-149-3p mimics suppressed EMT in colorectal cancer [31]. EMT is a cellular process wherein epithelial cells transform into motile mesenchymal cells [32]. In the process of EMT, junctions and apical-basal polarity are lost, prompting epithelial cells to undergo cytoskeletal rearrangement. This rearrangement leads to changes in the mechanotransduction of signaling pathways that affect cell shape and gene expression. In turn, the cells take on an invasive phenotype with increased motility [32]. EMT is related to wound healing, embryogenesis, and malignant progression [33], and the upregulation of vimentin, an EMT marker, has been shown to be correlated with poor clinical outcome in AML [34]. Clinical experiments have also shown that the expression of E-cadherin, which acts as a prognostic biomarker in AML patients, was substantially downregulated in AML [35].
Related Knowledge Centers
- Cell Biology
- Cell
- Wolff'S Law
- Electrochemistry
- Transduction
- Sense
- Physiology
- Proprioception
- Somatosensory System
- Balance