Journal
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR BIOENGINEERING
Volume 8, Issue 1, Pages 151-159Publisher
SPRINGER
DOI: 10.1007/s12195-014-0364-5
Keywords
Talin; Vinculin; Mechanosensing; Magnetic tweezers; Cell adhesion
Funding
- National Research Foundation of Singapore through the Mechanobiology Institute at National University of Singapore
- NIH [EB001480]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
A fundamental question in mechanobiology is how mechanical stimuli are sensed by mechanosensing proteins and converted into signals that direct cells to adapt to the external environment. A key function of cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix (ECM) is to transduce mechanical forces between cells and their extracellular environment. Talin, a cytoplasmic adapter essential for integrin-mediated adhesion to the ECM, links the actin cytoskeleton to integrin at the plasma membrane. Here, we review recent progress in the understanding of talin-dependent mechanosensing revealed by stretching single talin molecules. Rapid progress in single-molecule force manipulation technologies has made it possible to directly study the impact of mechanical force on talin's conformations and its interactions with other signaling proteins. We also provide our views on how findings from such studies may bring new insights into understanding the principles of mechanobiology on a broader scale, and how such fundamental knowledge may be harnessed for mechanopharmacology.
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