A small scale cell culture system to analyze mechanobiology using reporter gene constructs and polyurethane dishes.

Mechanical forces are translated into biochemical signals and contribute to cell differentiation and phenotype maintenance. Mesenchymal stem cells and their tissue-specific offspring, as osteoblasts and chondrocytes, cells of cardiovascular tissues and lung cells are sensitive to mechanical loading but molecules and mechanisms involved have to be unraveled. It is well established that cellular mechanotransduction is mediated e.