Glycosaminoglycans modulate long-range mechanical communication between cells in collagen networks.

ABSTRACT: Cells can sense and respond to mechanical forces in fibrous extracellular matrices (ECMs) over distances much greater than their size. This phenomenon, termed long-range force transmission, is enabled by the realignment (buckling) of collagen fibers along directions where the forces are tensile (compressive). However, whether other key structural components of the ECM, in particular glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), can affect the efficiency of cellular force transmission remains unclear. Here we developed a theoretical model of force transmission in collagen networks with interpenetrating GAGs, capturing the competition between tension-driven collagen fiber alignment and the swelling pressure induced by GAGs. Using this model, we show that the swelling pressure provided by GAGs increases the sti

SUBMITTER: Chen X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9169665 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature