We describe the use of a microfabricated cell culture substrate, consisting of a uniform array
of closely spaced, vertical, elastomeric microposts, to study the effects of substrate rigidity on …

For a monolayer sheet to migrate cohesively, it has long been suspected that each
constituent cell must exert physical forces not only upon its extracellular matrix but also upon …

Blood-vessel formation generates unique vascular patterns in each individual. The
principles governing the apparent stochasticity of this process remain to be elucidated …

Abstract TRPM7 encodes a Ca2+-permeable nonselective cation channel with kinase
activity. TRPM7 has been implicated in control of cell adhesion and migration, but whether …

Mechanical forces shape biological tissues. They are the effectors of the developmental
programs that orchestrate morphogenesis. A lot of effort has been devoted to understanding …

E-cadherin cell–cell junctions couple the contractile cortices of epithelial cells together,
generating tension within junctions that influences tissue organization. Although junctional …

Mechanical stress is increasingly being shown to be a potent modulator of cell–cell
junctional morphologies in developmental and homeostatic processes. Intercellular force …

Cells integrate biochemical and mechanical information to function within multicellular
tissue. Within developing and remodeling tissues, mechanical forces contain instructive …

Mechanotransduction refers to the conversion of mechanical forces into biochemical or
electrical signals that initiate structural and functional remodeling in cells and tissues. The …

In wound healing, tissue growth, and certain cancers, the epithelial or the endothelial
monolayer sheet expands. Within the expanding monolayer sheet, migration of the …