HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Free Full Text (PDF) Free Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (19) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Döbereiner, H.-G. Articles by Sheetz, M. P. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Döbereiner, H.-G. Articles by Sheetz, M. P.

INVITED REVIEW

HIGHLIGHTED TOPICS
Biomechanics and Mechanotransduction in Cells and Tissues

Force sensing and generation in cell phases: analyses of complex functions

Department of Biological Sciences, Columbia University, New York, New York

Cellular morphology is determined by motility, force sensing, and force generation that must be finely controlled in a dynamic fashion. Contractile and extensile functions are integrated with the overall cytoskeleton, including linkages from the cytoplasmic cytoskeleton to the extracellular matrix and other cells by force sensing. During development, as cells differentiate, variations in protein expression levels result in morphological changes. There are two major explanations for motile behavior: either cellular motility depends in a continuous fashion on cell composition or it exhibits phases wherein only a few protein modules are activated locally for a given time. Indeed, in support of the latter model, the quantification of cell spreading and other motile activities shows multiple distinct modes of behavior, which we term "phases" because there exist abrupt transitions between them. Cells in suspension have a basal level of motility that enables them to probe their immediate environment. After contacting a matrix-coated surface, they rapidly transition to an activated spreading phase. After the development of a significant contact area, the cells contract repeatedly to determine the rigidity of the substrate and then develop force on matrix contacts. When cells are fully spread, extension activity is significantly decreased and focal complexes start to assemble near the cell periphery. For each of these phases, there are significant differences in protein activities, which correspond to differences in function. Thus overall morphological change of a tissue is driven by chemical signals and force-dependent activation of one or more motile phases in limited cell regions for defined periods.

extracellular matrix; cellular processes; dynamic phase transitions

This article has been cited by other articles:

				Y. Huang, P. Arora, C. A. McCulloch, and W. F. Vogel The collagen receptor DDR1 regulates cell spreading and motility by associating with myosin IIA J. Cell Sci., May 15, 2009; 122(10): 1637 - 1646. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Fuchs and J.A. Nowak Building Epithelial Tissues from Skin Stem Cells Cold Spring Harb Symp Quant Biol, November 6, 2008; (2008) sqb.2008.73.032v1. [Abstract] [PDF]

				K. S. Gill, F. Beier, and H. A. Goldberg Rho-ROCK signaling differentially regulates chondrocyte spreading on fibronectin and bone sialoprotein Am J Physiol Cell Physiol, July 1, 2008; 295(1): C38 - C49. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. Fuchs Skin stem cells: rising to the surface J. Cell Biol., January 28, 2008; 180(2): 273 - 284. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. K. Quadri and J. Bhattacharya Resealing of endothelial junctions by focal adhesion kinase Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol, January 1, 2007; 292(1): L334 - L342. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. M. Brown, B. Hebert, D. L. Kolin, J. Zareno, L. Whitmore, A. R. Horwitz, and P. W. Wiseman Probing the integrin-actin linkage using high-resolution protein velocity mapping J. Cell Sci., December 15, 2006; 119(24): 5204 - 5214. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. H. Zaman, L. M. Trapani, A. L. Sieminski, D. MacKellar, H. Gong, R. D. Kamm, A. Wells, D. A. Lauffenburger, and P. Matsudaira Migration of tumor cells in 3D matrices is governed by matrix stiffness along with cell-matrix adhesion and proteolysis PNAS, July 18, 2006; 103(29): 10889 - 10894. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]