Tissue tension homeostasis by junctional mechanosensing. (2015-2018)
Abstract
This project examines how tissues use mechanical tension to preserve their integrity. It comes from the recent appreciation that cells pull on the connections between each other to generate tension. Further, molecular mechanisms exist for cells to sense changes in this tension and then enlist the appropriate responses to restore tension. The project will test how local changes in tension are detected, and corrected, when tissue integrity is compromised by very different causes. The project will establish a new conceptual paradigm for understanding tissue homeostasis, based on cell biology and biomechanics, with implications for developmental biology and tissue engineering.
