Skin, by nature, is very similar to the Rouquayrol-Denayrouze suit mentioned by Jules Verne in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea: it allows "to risk (…) new physiological conditions without suffering any organic disorder". Mechanical cues, to the same extent as other environmental parameters, are such "new physiological conditions". Indeed, skin's primary function is to form a protective barrier to shield inner tissues from the external environment. This requires unique mechanical properties as well as the ability to sense mechanical cues from the environment in order to prevent or repair mechanical damages as well as to function as the primary mechanosensory interface of the whole body.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejcb.2016.07.001 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Myelin ensheathment and drug responses of oligodendrocytes are modulated by stiffness of artificial axons.
PLoS One
January 2025
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States of America.
Myelination is a key biological process wherein glial cells such as oligodendrocytes wrap myelin around neuronal axons, forming an insulative sheath that accelerates signal propagation down the axon. A major obstacle to understanding myelination is the challenge of visualizing and reproducibly quantifying this inherently three-dimensional process in vitro. To this end, we previously developed artificial axons (AAs), a biocompatible platform consisting of 3D-printed hydrogel-based axon mimics designed to more closely recapitulate the micrometer-scale diameter and sub-kilopascal mechanical stiffness of biological axons.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFExtrusion-Based Printing of Myoblast-Loaded Fibrin Microthreads to Induce Myogenesis.
J Funct Biomater
January 2025
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA 01609, USA.
Large skeletal muscle injuries such as volumetric muscle loss (VML) disrupt native tissue structures, including biophysical and biochemical signaling cues that promote the regeneration of functional skeletal muscle. Various biofabrication strategies have been developed to create engineered skeletal muscle constructs that mimic native matrix and cellular microenvironments to enhance muscle regeneration; however, there remains a need to create scalable engineered tissues that provide mechanical stability as well as structural and spatiotemporal signaling cues to promote cell-mediated regeneration of contractile skeletal muscle. We describe a novel strategy for bioprinting multifunctional myoblast-loaded fibrin microthreads (myothreads) that recapitulate the cellular microniches to drive myogenesis and aligned myotube formation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCalponin 3 Regulates Myoblast Proliferation and Differentiation Through Actin Cytoskeleton Remodeling and YAP1-Mediated Signaling in Myoblasts.
Cells
January 2025
Department of Biochemistry, Dongguk University College of Medicine, 123 Dongdae-ro, Gyeongju 38066, Republic of Korea.
An actin-binding protein, known as Calponin 3 (CNN3), modulates the remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton, a fundamental process for the maintenance of skeletal muscle homeostasis. Although the roles of CNN3 in actin remodeling have been established, its biological significance in myoblast differentiation remains largely unknown. This study investigated the functional significance of CNN3 in myogenic differentiation, along with its effects on actin remodeling and mechanosensitive signaling in C2C12 myoblasts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDeciphering mechanical cues in the microenvironment: from non-malignant settings to tumor progression.
Biomark Res
January 2025
Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, 200032, China.
The tumor microenvironment functions as a dynamic and intricate ecosystem, comprising a diverse array of cellular and non-cellular components that precisely orchestrate pivotal tumor behaviors, including invasion, metastasis, and drug resistance. While unraveling the intricate interplay between the tumor microenvironment and tumor behaviors represents a tremendous challenge, recent research illuminates a crucial biological phenomenon known as cellular mechanotransduction. Within the microenvironment, mechanical cues like tensile stress, shear stress, and stiffness play a pivotal role by activating mechanosensitive effectors such as PIEZO proteins, integrins, and Yes-associated protein.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSynthetic cells in tissue engineering.
Curr Opin Biotechnol
January 2025
INM - Leibniz Institute for New Materials, Campus D2 2, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany; Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland, Helmholtz Center for Infection Research, Campus E8 1, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany; Center for Biophysics, Saarland University, Campus Saarland, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany; Max Planck Bristol Centre for Minimal Biology, Cantock's Close, Bristol BS8 1TS, United Kingdom. Electronic address:
Tissue functions rely on complex structural, biochemical, and biomechanical cues that guide cellular behavior and organization. Synthetic cells, a promising new class of biomaterials, hold significant potential for mimicking these tissue properties using simplified, nonliving building blocks. Advanced synthetic cell models have already shown utility in biotechnology and immunology, including applications in cancer targeting and antigen presentation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!