Journal
JOURNAL OF BIOMECHANICS
Volume 43, Issue 1, Pages 15-22Publisher
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiomech.2009.09.004
Keywords
Tensile stress; Shear stress; Molecular slippage; Stretch sensor; Active remodeling; Multi-scale modeling
Categories
Funding
- NSERC
- US Air Force Office of Scientific Research [(FA9550-08-1-0321]
- National Science Foundation [MRSEC DMR-081976]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The animal cell cytoskeleton consists of three interconnected filament systems: actin microfilaments, microtubules and the lesser known intermediate filaments (IFs). All mature IF proteins share a common tripartite domain structure and the ability to assemble into 8-12 nm wide filaments. At the time of their discovery in the 1980s, IFs were only considered as passive elements of the cytoskeleton mainly involved in maintaining the mechanical integrity of tissues. Since then, our knowledge of IFs structure, assembly plan and functions has improved dramatically. Especially, single IFs show a unique combination of extensibility, flexibility and toughness that is a direct consequence of their unique assembly plan. In this review we will first discuss the mechanical design of IFs by combining the experimental data with recent multi-scale modeling results. Then we will discuss how mechanical forces may interact with IFs in vivo both directly and through the activation of other proteins such as kinases. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available