Curved adhesions mediate cell attachment to soft matrix fibres in 3D.

ABSTRACT: Mammalian cells adhere to the extracellular matrix (ECM) and sense mechanical cues through integrin-mediated adhesions ^{1, 2} . Focal adhesions and related structures are the primary architectures that transmit forces between the ECM and the actin cytoskeleton. Although focal adhesions are abundant when cells are cultured on rigid substrates, they are sparse in soft environments that cannot support high mechanical tensions ³ . Here, we report a new class of integrin-mediated adhesions, curved adhesions, whose formation is regulated by membrane curvature instead of mechanical tension. In soft matrices made of protein fibres, curved adhesions are induced by membrane curvatures imposed by the fibre geometry. Curved adhesions are mediated by integrin ɑVβ5 and are molecularl

SUBMITTER: Zhang W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10055138 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature