Essential Info

Here you will find articles that cover broad topics in mechanobiology. Essential information is summarized and laid out in a chapter format to produce stand-alone pieces of information that supplement the more in depth topics in this site.

1. What is Mechanobiology?

This section covers the basic themes of mechanobiology and their role in shaping cells and tissues. Also discussed are the types of forces cells encounter and the different ways forces can be detected (mechanosensing). In addition a brief look is taken at the dynamic nature of the cytoskeleton – a key component in the transmission of forces.

2. What is the Physiological Relevance of Mechanobiology?

In this section we set mechanobiology in a wider context, not merely looking at its role in specific cellular structures, but highlighting its effect in development and disease. Specific areas discussed include; early development, vascular biology, immune response and disease states.

3. What are the Cellular Responses to Mechantransduction?

Mechanotransduction is a cyclical process involving mechanosensing, followed by transduction of the detected forces and finally a mechanoresponse, which in itself feeds back into the loop of mechanotransduction. In this section we briefly discuss the forces generated from this process.


Actin filaments are the primary component of the cytoskeleton and enable the cell to sense the rigidity of the surrounding substrate and respond accordingly. The actin filament network, by acting as a link between adhesion molecules and a vast array of cellular components, is also able to generate force, transduce signals and facilitate larger processes such as cell motility. How the actin filament network achieves all this is discussed in this section.



Motor proteins are able to harness the energy of nucleotide hydrolysis, in order to facilitate conformational changes in their structure, to promote movement along filaments of the cytoskeleton. In this section we specifically focus on the myosin family of motor proteins; describing the various isoforms and highlighting their functionality using the example of muscle contraction. Motor proteins are involved in numerous functions and processes and are integral modules of mechanobiology.


Microtubules are an integral component of the cytoskeleton. They contribute to cell polarity, are essential for cellular reproduction and provide a network for transport of materials via microtubule motorproteins. These structures have also been implicated in mechanotransduction and their response to mechanical stimuli is well reported, particularly from observations in cardiac muscle cells. In this section, a brief description of microtubule formation and function is provided.