Endothelial cells form the inner layer of blood vessels, making them the first barrier between
the blood and interstitial tissues; thus endothelial cells play a crucial role in inflammation. In …

At the plasma membrane interface, cells use various adhesions to sense their extracellular
environment. These adhesions facilitate the transmission of mechanical signals that dictate …

Purpose The importance of mechanical forces and microenvironment in guiding cellular
behavior has been widely accepted. Together with the extracellular matrix (ECM), epithelial …

While it is now well-established that substrate stiffness regulates vascular endothelial growth
factor-A (VEGF-A) mediated signaling and functions, causal mechanisms remain poorly …

Cells in vivo encounter and exert forces as they interact with the extracellular matrix (ECM)
and neighboring cells during migration. These mechanical forces play crucial roles in …

Prestress in amorphous solids bears the memory of their formation and plays a profound
role in their mechanical properties. Here we develop a set of mathematical tools to …

In the field of endothelial biology, the term “shear forces” is tied to the forces exerted by the
flowing blood on the quiescent cells. But endothelial cells themselves also exert physical …

The pulmonary artery endothelium forms a semipermeable barrier that limits
macromolecular flux through intercellular junctions. This barrier is maintained by an intrinsic …

Astrocytes are essential to brain homeostasis and their dysfunction can have devastating
consequences on human quality of life. Such deleterious effects are generally due in part to …

The mechanical microenvironment of an endothelial cell includes a stable protein scaffold
on the basal side, flowing blood on the apical side and contractile cells on the lateral sides …