Mechanosensing and Mechanotransduction at Cell–Cell Junctions
- 1Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Division of Cell Biology and Molecular Medicine, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane 4072, Australia
- 2Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117411
- 3CNRS, Singapore 117411
- Correspondence: a.yap{at}uq.edu.au; virgile.viasnoff{at}espci.fr
Abstract
Cell adhesion systems are defined by their ability to resist detachment force. Our understanding of the biology of cell–cell adhesions has recently been transformed by the realization that many of the forces that act on those adhesions are generated by the cells that they couple together; and that force at adhesive junctions can be sensed to regulate cell behavior. Here, we consider the mechanisms responsible for applying force to cell–cell junctions and the mechanosensory pathways that detect those forces. We focus on cadherins, as these are the best-studied examples to date, but it is likely that similar principles will apply to other molecular systems that can engage with force-generators within cells and physically couple those cells together.