Mechanical interactions are fundamental to biology. Mechanical forces of chemical origin
determine motility and adhesion on the cellular scale, and govern transport and affinity on …

Mechanosensing describes the ability of a cell to sense mechanical cues of its
microenvironment, including not only all components of force, stress, and strain but also …

INTRODUCTION Cadherins are an ancient class of transmembrane proteins that are
essential for the formation of multicellular tissues in metazoans. Cadherins link intercellular …

Vinculin is an actin-binding protein thought to reinforce cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesions.
However, how mechanical load affects the vinculin–F-actin bond is unclear. Using a single …

A current challenge in the life sciences is to understand how biological systems change their
structural, biophysical and chemical properties to adjust functionality. Addressing this issue …

The shapes of eukaryotic cells and ultimately the organisms that they form are defined by
cycles of mechanosensing, mechanotransduction and mechanoresponse. Local sensing of …

Analysis of cellular mechanotransduction, the mechanism by which cells convert mechanical
signals into biochemical responses, has focused on identification of critical …

The T-cell receptor (TCR) interacts with peptide-major histocompatibility complexes (pMHC)
to discriminate pathogens from self-antigens and trigger adaptive immune responses. Direct …

Ligand–receptor interactions that are reinforced by mechanical stress, so-called catch-
bonds, play a major role in cell–cell adhesion. They critically contribute to widespread …

Mechanical forces direct a host of cellular and tissue processes. Although much emphasis
has been placed on cell-adhesion complexes as force sensors, the forces must nevertheless …