A general model of focal adhesion orientation dynamics in response to static and cyclic stretch.

ABSTRACT: Understanding cellular response to mechanical forces is immensely important for a plethora of biological processes. Focal adhesions are multimolecular protein assemblies that connect the cell to the extracellular matrix and play a pivotal role in cell mechanosensing. Under time-varying stretches, focal adhesions dynamically reorganize and reorient and as a result, regulate the response of cells in tissues. Here I present a simple theoretical model based on, to my knowledge, a novel approach in the understanding of stretch-sensitive bond association and dissociation processes together with the elasticity of the cell-substrate system to predict the growth, stability, and the orientation of focal adhesions in the presence of static as well as cyclically varying stretches. The model agrees wel

SUBMITTER: De R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6123675 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature