Microenvironmental stiffness directs microtubule perturbation in chondrocyte mitosis via ILK-refilinB/Smad3 axis.

ABSTRACT: Cells actively sense and transduce microenvironmental mechanical inputs into chemical signals via cytoskeletal rearrangements. During these mechanosensation and mechanotransduction processes, the role of the actin cytoskeleton is well-understood, whereas the role of the tubulin cytoskeleton remains largely elusive. Here, we report the dynamic changes in microtubules in response to microenvironmental stiffness during chondrocyte mitosis. Mechanical stiffness was found to be coupled with microtubule generation, directing microtubule dynamics in mitotic chondrocytes. Refilin B was found to be a key regulator of microtubule assembly in chondrocytes in response to mechanical stiffness. It was found to play its role in microtubule formation via the p-Smad3 signaling pathway. Additionally, integr

SUBMITTER: Duan M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12858872 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature