Mechanical Intercellular Communication via Matrix-Borne Cell Force Transmission During Vascular Network Formation.

ABSTRACT: Intercellular communication is critical to the formation and homeostatic function of all tissues. Previous work has shown that cells can communicate mechanically via the transmission of cell-generated forces through their surrounding extracellular matrix, but this process is not well understood. Here, mechanically defined, synthetic electrospun fibrous matrices are utilized in conjunction with a microfabrication-based cell patterning approach to examine mechanical intercellular communication (MIC) between endothelial cells (ECs) during their assembly into interconnected multicellular networks. It is found that cell force-mediated matrix displacements in deformable fibrous matrices underly directional extension and migration of neighboring ECs toward each other prior to the formation of sta

SUBMITTER: Davidson CD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10797481 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature