Cells encounter and respond to a wide range of biophysical and biochemical stimuli throughout the body. Until recently, researchers have only focused on the influence and mechanisms of biochemical cues on cell function and behavior. However, the role of mechanical cues (especially those generated from the extracellular matrix (ECM) onto which cells remain anchored) in modulating cell behavior is mostly unknown. The ECM is not just a structural entity but is also a dynamic and complex environment endowed with an instructive role to guide the developmental process. The cell's ability to sense, interact, and integrate the mechanical cues (both from the ECM and within the cell) by translating them to biochemical signals and biological responses is known as mechanotransduction. This reciprocal interaction between the cell and the ECM is of the utmost importance in many cellular activities, several diseases, and disorders (including fibrosis and cancer), but it remains poorly understood.
There are many questions in cell-matrix mechanobiology that need further investigation. Why different cell types behave differently to the different ECM stiffness remains a mystery. Another crucial question is how cells differentiate between ECM remodeling and changes in mechanical properties during homeostasis and pathological conditions? What techniques are better suited for probing mechanobiology and diseases of mechanotransduction? However, answering these questions need the coordinated efforts of biologists, chemists, biomedical engineers, material scientists, and physicists. In the quest to answer these questions, we will understand how cells perceive physical forces in both physiological and pathological conditions.
In this Research Topic, we invite manuscripts covering the role of biomechanical forces in development and diseases and how these forces can be quantified. Research identifying new mechanisms and mechanosensors, and recent models and tools for probing cell-ECM mechanotransduction in diseases and disorders will also be welcome.
Cells encounter and respond to a wide range of biophysical and biochemical stimuli throughout the body. Until recently, researchers have only focused on the influence and mechanisms of biochemical cues on cell function and behavior. However, the role of mechanical cues (especially those generated from the extracellular matrix (ECM) onto which cells remain anchored) in modulating cell behavior is mostly unknown. The ECM is not just a structural entity but is also a dynamic and complex environment endowed with an instructive role to guide the developmental process. The cell's ability to sense, interact, and integrate the mechanical cues (both from the ECM and within the cell) by translating them to biochemical signals and biological responses is known as mechanotransduction. This reciprocal interaction between the cell and the ECM is of the utmost importance in many cellular activities, several diseases, and disorders (including fibrosis and cancer), but it remains poorly understood.
There are many questions in cell-matrix mechanobiology that need further investigation. Why different cell types behave differently to the different ECM stiffness remains a mystery. Another crucial question is how cells differentiate between ECM remodeling and changes in mechanical properties during homeostasis and pathological conditions? What techniques are better suited for probing mechanobiology and diseases of mechanotransduction? However, answering these questions need the coordinated efforts of biologists, chemists, biomedical engineers, material scientists, and physicists. In the quest to answer these questions, we will understand how cells perceive physical forces in both physiological and pathological conditions.
In this Research Topic, we invite manuscripts covering the role of biomechanical forces in development and diseases and how these forces can be quantified. Research identifying new mechanisms and mechanosensors, and recent models and tools for probing cell-ECM mechanotransduction in diseases and disorders will also be welcome.
