Mechanotransduction

Mechanotransduction refers to the intricate processes and signaling pathways that connect the biophysical cues of the cellular microenvironment with the cell and mediate their reciprocal crosstalk. The (extra)cellular structures described in this chapter, that is, the extracellular matrix (ECM) (see Chapter 4.5), the cell membrane(with the embedded adhesion receptors) and glycocalyx (see Chapter 4.3), and the cytoskeleton (see Chapter 4.2), strongly interact with and influence one another through mechanotransductive actions. The impact of mechanotransduction is not limited to only direct modulations of the cell morphology and mechanics affected by the cytoskeleton but also reaches into the nucleus, where it eventually also regulates cellular decision making, program, and fate. Here, we will give an overview about how the cell senses mechanical and structural cues of its micro environment and how the events in the cell/microenvironment interface translate the perceived information into appropriate cellular responses by the mechanotransductive machinery and signaling. Also, we will introduce the contribution of aberrations in mechanotransduction and the (extra)cellular structures involved in diseases.