Matrix mechanics and receptor–ligand interactions in cell adhesion

Citations Over TimeTop 11% of 2009 papers

Abstract

Cell adhesions to both soluble and insoluble extracellular matrix ligands are critical in inter and intra-cellular signaling that mediates numerous physiological processes. These adhesions are complex structures composed of many scaffolding and signaling proteins. There are four distinct types of cell-matrix adhesions: focal complexes, focal adhesions, fibrillar adhesions, and 3D cell-matrix adhesions, which vary in composition, organization and function. The primary mediators of cell-matrix adhesions are integrins, which are mechanosensitive transmembrane receptor proteins that directly bind to matrix ligands to initiate adhesion formation. The development of cell-matrix adhesions is affected by a number of factors including matrix properties such as dimensionality and rigidity, and forces, both internally and externally generated, exerted on the adhesion sites. In this article, we discuss how matrix mechanics and forces affect the assembly and maturation of cell-matrix adhesions.

Related Papers

• → Mechanosensitive ion channels: molecules of mechanotransduction(2004)543 cited
• → Mechanosensitive Ion Channels: Structural Features Relevant to Mechanotransduction Mechanisms(2020)268 cited
• → Ion Permeation and Mechanotransduction Mechanisms of Mechanosensitive Piezo Channels(2016)236 cited
• → Mechanosensitive Ion Channels, Axonal Growth, and Regeneration(2022)24 cited
• → Mechanotransduction and Mechanosensitive Ion Channels in Osteoblasts(1998)3 cited