Open AccessThe hard life of soft cells
Author(s) -
Janmey Paul A.,
Winer Jessamine P.,
Murray Maria E.,
Wen Qi
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
cell motility and the cytoskeleton
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1097-0169
pISSN - 0886-1544
DOI - 10.1002/cm.20382
Subject(s) - extracellular matrix , cytoskeleton , cell mechanics , microbiology and biotechnology , motility , biology , cell , viscoelasticity , matrix (chemical analysis) , biophysics , extracellular , cell function , function (biology) , materials science , biochemistry , composite material
Abstract Cells are mechanical as well as chemical machines, and much of the energy they consume is used to apply forces to each other and to the extracellular matrix around them. The cytoskeleton, the cell membrane, and the macromolecules composing the extracellular matrix form networks that in concert with the forces generated by the cell create dynamic materials with viscoelastic properties unique to each tissue. Numerous recent studies suggest that the forces that cells create and are subjected to, as well as the mechanical properties of the materials to which they adhere, can have large effects on cell structure and function that can act in concert with or override signals from soluble stimuli. This brief review summarizes recent studies of the effects of substrate mechanics on cell motility, differentiation, and proliferation, and discusses possible mechanisms by which a cell can probe the stiffness of its surroundings. Cell Motil. Cytoskeleton, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.