Mechanosensitive Regulation of Fibrosis
Cells in the human body experience and integrate a wide variety of environmental cues. A growing interest in tissue mechanics in the past four decades has shown that the mechanical properties of tissue drive key biological processes and facilitate disease development. However, tissue stiffness is no...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-04-01
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| Series: | Cells |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/10/5/994 |
| _version_ | 1827694295715414016 |
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| author | Shuying Yang Sergey V. Plotnikov |
| author_facet | Shuying Yang Sergey V. Plotnikov |
| author_sort | Shuying Yang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cells in the human body experience and integrate a wide variety of environmental cues. A growing interest in tissue mechanics in the past four decades has shown that the mechanical properties of tissue drive key biological processes and facilitate disease development. However, tissue stiffness is not only a potent behavioral cue, but also a product of cellular signaling activity. This review explores both roles of tissue stiffness in the context of inflammation and fibrosis, and the important molecular players driving such processes. During inflammation, proinflammatory cytokines upregulate tissue stiffness by increasing hydrostatic pressure, ECM deposition, and ECM remodeling. As the ECM stiffens, cells involved in the immune response employ intricate molecular sensors to probe and alter their mechanical environment, thereby facilitating immune cell recruitment and potentiating the fibrotic phenotype. This powerful feedforward loop raises numerous possibilities for drug development and warrants further investigation into the mechanisms specific to different fibrotic diseases. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:02:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a780f1ba7f1447afafd8910e2b86c99c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4409 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T12:02:06Z |
| publishDate | 2021-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cells |
| spelling | doaj.art-a780f1ba7f1447afafd8910e2b86c99c2023-11-21T16:52:03ZengMDPI AGCells2073-44092021-04-0110599410.3390/cells10050994Mechanosensitive Regulation of FibrosisShuying Yang0Sergey V. Plotnikov1Department of Cell & Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G5, CanadaDepartment of Cell & Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3G5, CanadaCells in the human body experience and integrate a wide variety of environmental cues. A growing interest in tissue mechanics in the past four decades has shown that the mechanical properties of tissue drive key biological processes and facilitate disease development. However, tissue stiffness is not only a potent behavioral cue, but also a product of cellular signaling activity. This review explores both roles of tissue stiffness in the context of inflammation and fibrosis, and the important molecular players driving such processes. During inflammation, proinflammatory cytokines upregulate tissue stiffness by increasing hydrostatic pressure, ECM deposition, and ECM remodeling. As the ECM stiffens, cells involved in the immune response employ intricate molecular sensors to probe and alter their mechanical environment, thereby facilitating immune cell recruitment and potentiating the fibrotic phenotype. This powerful feedforward loop raises numerous possibilities for drug development and warrants further investigation into the mechanisms specific to different fibrotic diseases.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/10/5/994fibrosisextracellular matrixdurotaxistissue stiffnessinflammationmechanosensing |
| spellingShingle | Shuying Yang Sergey V. Plotnikov Mechanosensitive Regulation of Fibrosis Cells fibrosis extracellular matrix durotaxis tissue stiffness inflammation mechanosensing |
| title | Mechanosensitive Regulation of Fibrosis |
| title_full | Mechanosensitive Regulation of Fibrosis |
| title_fullStr | Mechanosensitive Regulation of Fibrosis |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mechanosensitive Regulation of Fibrosis |
| title_short | Mechanosensitive Regulation of Fibrosis |
| title_sort | mechanosensitive regulation of fibrosis |
| topic | fibrosis extracellular matrix durotaxis tissue stiffness inflammation mechanosensing |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/10/5/994 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT shuyingyang mechanosensitiveregulationoffibrosis AT sergeyvplotnikov mechanosensitiveregulationoffibrosis |