What is Serum Response Factor? Serum response factor (SRF) is a transcription factor that plays a key role in the transduction of mechanical signals from cytoplasmic actin and the extracellular environment, to the cell nucleus. It is highly conserved from yeast to humans and [...]

Which biochemical pathways are regulated by mechanical signals? Biochemical Mechanotransduction Cells are capable of relaying mechanical stimuli from their physical environment all the way down to the nucleus through electrochemical, biochemical or mechanical pathways. In many cases the activation or suppression of a given [...]

What is mechanosignaling?Cells, whether prokaryotic (unicellular) or eukaryotic (multicellular), constantly interact with their environment. In the case of prokaryotic cells, environmental cues may initiate cellular functions such as cell division, sporulation or cell motility. These functions are generally for the survival and reproduction of each [...]

How do small GTPases regulate mechanosignaling pathways? The small GTPases are a superfamily of enzymes that function as ‘molecular switches’ and are involved in regulating many cellular processes. All small GTPases transduce information through signalling pathways, via alternation between an active GTP-bound and an [...]

What are Arf GTPases? ADP-ribosylation factor (Arf) GTPases are a subfamily of the Ras superfamily of small GTPases. Arf proteins perform diverse and critical functions in fundamental cellular processes like membrane trafficking, lipid modification, cytokinesis and cell adhesion. Arf GTPases are tightly regulated by [...]

What are Ras GTPases? The Ras family of small GTPases were originally discovered during a search for oncogenic retroviruses. Named for their ability to cause rat sarcomas, human RAS genes were identified in 1982 and have been the subject of intensive cancer research ever [...]

What are Rho GTPases? The Ras homologous (Rho) protein family is a member of the Ras superfamily of small GTPases. Small GTPases are monomeric proteins and function as molecular switches that turn “on” or turn “off” signal transduction pathways in response to chemical or [...]

What are focal adhesions? Focal adhesions are integrin-containing, multi-protein structures that form mechanical links between intracellular actin bundles and the extracellular matrix or substrate in many cell types [1]. The formation and function of focal adhesions can be described over defined steps that include [...]

Are focal adhesion dynamic? In migrating cells, turnover of adhesion components happens throughout the adhesion life cycle, with a shift in equilibrium between rates of recruitment and removal during the various stages. At the end of each step, the structure undergoes a steady state [...]

Are focal adhesion dynamic? In migrating cells, turnover of adhesion components happens throughout the adhesion life cycle, with a shift in equilibrium between rates of recruitment and removal during the various stages. At the end of each step, the structure undergoes a steady state [...]

How are focal adhesion dynamics regulated? The highly dynamic and complex molecular composition of focal adhesions is regulated by a number of physico-chemical signals arising from its surroundings, such as extracellular matrix stiffness, topography, and its biochemical composition. The molecular dynamics within focal adhesions, [...]

What are Rab GTPases? The Rab proteins constitute the largest family of small GTPases belonging to the Ras superfamily, with approximately 70 members identified in humans. Rab GTPases are the primary regulators of the vesicular trafficking pathways that are responsible for transporting the vast [...]