학술논문
Long-range mechanical signaling in biological systems.
Document Type
Academic Journal
Author
Alisafaei F; Center for Engineering Mechanobiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. janmey@pennmedicine.upenn.edu and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.; Chen X; Center for Engineering Mechanobiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. janmey@pennmedicine.upenn.edu and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.; Leahy T; Center for Engineering Mechanobiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. janmey@pennmedicine.upenn.edu and Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA and McKay Orthopaedic Research Laboratory, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.; Janmey PA; Center for Engineering Mechanobiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. janmey@pennmedicine.upenn.edu and Institute for Medicine and Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, 3340 Smith Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA and Departments of Physiology, and Physics & Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.; Shenoy VB; Center for Engineering Mechanobiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA. janmey@pennmedicine.upenn.edu and Department of Materials Science and Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
Source
Publisher: Royal Society of Chemistry Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101295070 Publication Model: Print Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1744-6848 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 1744683X NLM ISO Abbreviation: Soft Matter Subsets: MEDLINE
Subject
Language
English
Abstract
Cells can respond to signals generated by other cells that are remarkably far away. Studies from at least the 1920's showed that cells move toward each other when the distance between them is on the order of a millimeter, which is many times the cell diameter. Chemical signals generated by molecules diffusing from the cell surface would move too slowly and dissipate too fast to account for these effects, suggesting that they might be physical rather than biochemical. The non-linear elastic responses of sparsely connected networks of stiff or semiflexible filament such as those that form the extracellular matrix (ECM) and the cytoskeleton have unusual properties that suggest multiple mechanisms for long-range signaling in biological tissues. These include not only direct force transmission, but also highly non-uniform local deformations, and force-generated changes in fiber alignment and density. Defining how fibrous networks respond to cell-generated forces can help design new methods to characterize abnormal tissues and can guide development of improved biomimetic materials.