Mechanotaxis

Mechanotaxis refers to the directed movement of cell motility via mechanical cues (e.g., fluidic shear stress, substrate stiffness gradients, etc.).^[1][2] In response to fluidic shear stress, cells have been shown to migrate in the direction of the fluid flow.^[3][4]

A subset of mechanotaxis - termed durotaxis - refers specifically to cell migration guided by gradients in substrate rigidity (i.e. stiffness).^[5][6] The observation that certain cell types seeded on a substrate rigidity gradient migrate up the gradient (i.e. in the direction of increasing substrate stiffness) was first reported by Lo et al.^[7] The primary method for creating rigidity gradients for cells (e.g., in biomaterials) consists of altering the degree of cross-linking in polymers to adjust substrate stiffness.^[8][9] Alternative substrate rigidity gradients include micropost array gradients, where the stiffness of individual microposts is increased in a single, designed direction.^[10]

References

1. ^ Li, S. (March 19, 2002). "The role of the dynamics of focal adhesion kinase in the mechanotaxis of endothelial cells". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 99 (6): 3546–3551. doi:10.1073/pnas.052018099. 
2. ^ LO, C (1 July 2000). "Cell Movement Is Guided by the Rigidity of the Substrate". Biophysical Journal 79 (1): 144–152. doi:10.1016/S0006-3495(00)76279-5. PMID 10866943. 
3. ^ Li, S. (March 19, 2002). "The role of the dynamics of focal adhesion kinase in the mechanotaxis of endothelial cells". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 99 (6): 3546–3551. doi:10.1073/pnas.052018099. 
4. ^ Hsu, Steve; Thakar, Rahul, Liepmann, Dorian, Li, Song (11 November 2005). "Effects of shear stress on endothelial cell haptotaxis on micropatterned surfaces". Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 337 (1): 401–409. doi:10.1016/j.bbrc.2005.08.272. PMID 16188239. 
5. ^ LO, C (1 July 2000). "Cell Movement Is Guided by the Rigidity of the Substrate". Biophysical Journal 79 (1): 144–152. doi:10.1016/S0006-3495(00)76279-5. PMID 10866943. 
6. ^ Sochol, Ryan D.; Higa, Adrienne T., Janairo, Randall R. R., Li, Song, Lin, Liwei (1 January 2011). "Unidirectional mechanical cellular stimuli via micropost array gradients". Soft Matter 7 (10): 4606. doi:10.1039/C1SM05163F. 
7. ^ Lo, C (1 July 2000). "Cell Movement Is Guided by the Rigidity of the Substrate". Biophysical Journal 79 (1): 144–152. doi:10.1016/S0006-3495(00)76279-5. PMID 10866943. 
8. ^ Gray, Darren S.; Tien, Joe, Chen, Christopher S. (1 September 2003). "Repositioning of cells by mechanotaxis on surfaces with micropatterned Young's modulus". Journal of Biomedical Materials Research 66A (3): 605–614. doi:10.1002/jbm.a.10585. 
9. ^ Wong, Joyce Y.; Velasco, Alan, Rajagopalan, Padmavathy, Pham, Quynh (1 March 2003). "Directed Movement of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells on Gradient-Compliant Hydrogels". Langmuir 19 (5): 1908–1913. doi:10.1021/la026403p. 
10. ^ Sochol, Ryan D.; Higa, Adrienne T., Janairo, Randall R. R., Li, Song, Lin, Liwei (1 January 2011). "Unidirectional mechanical cellular stimuli via micropost array gradients". Soft Matter 7 (10): 4606. doi:10.1039/C1SM05163F.