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Previous works proposed that aquaporins behave as mechanosensitive channels. However, principal issues about mechanosensitivity of aquaporins are not known. In this work, we characterized the mechanosensitive properties of the water channels BvTIP1;2 (TIP1) and BvPIP2;1 (PIP2) from red beet (Beta vulgaris). We simultaneously measured the mechanical behavior and the water transport rates during the osmotic response of emptied-out oocytes expressing TIP1 or PIP2. Our results indicate that TIP1 is a mechanosensitive aquaporin, whereas PIP2 is not. We found that a single exponential function between the osmotic permeability coefficient and the volumetric elastic modulus governs the mechanosensitivity of TIP1. Finally, homology modeling analysis indicates that putative residues involved in mechanosensitivity show different quantity and distribution in TIP1 and PIP2.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/1873-3468.12671 | DOI Listing |
Nat Mater
September 2025
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
Within most tissues, the extracellular microenvironment provides mechanical cues that guide cell fate and function. Changes in the extracellular matrix such as aberrant deposition, densification and increased crosslinking are hallmarks of late-stage fibrotic diseases that often lead to organ dysfunction. Biomaterials have been widely used to mimic the mechanical properties of the fibrotic matrix and study pathophysiologic cell function.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Adv
September 2025
School of Engineering and Materials Science, Queen Mary University of London, UK.
During heart disease, the cardiac extracellular matrix (ECM) undergoes a structural and mechanical transformation. Cardiomyocytes sense the mechanical properties of their environment, leading to phenotypic remodeling. A critical component of the ECM mechanosensing machinery, including the protein talin, is organized at the cardiomyocyte costamere.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTherapeutic T-cell engineering from human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) focuses on recapitulating notch1-signaling and α4β1-integrin-mediated adhesion within the thymic niche with supportive stromal cell feeder-layers or surface-immobilized recombinant protein-based engineered thymic niches (ETNs). The relevant Notch1-DLL-4 and α4β1-integrin-VCAM-1 interactions are known to respond to mechanical forces that regulate their bond dissociation behaviors and downstream signal transduction, yet manipulating the mechanosensitive features of these key receptor-ligand interactions in thymopoiesis has been largely ignored in current ETN designs. Here, we demonstrate that human T-cell development from cord blood-derived CD34 HSCs is regulated via molecular cooperativity in notch1 and integrin-mediated mechanotransduction.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAdv Sci (Weinh)
September 2025
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Stanford University, Palo Alto, 94304, USA.
The plasma membrane is actively regulated by lipid transporters that create electrochemical gradients between leaflets, and passively by scramblases that dissipate these gradients. Membrane properties such as lipid packing are critical for the proper function of transmembrane proteins, particularly mechanosensitive ion channels. Mechanosensation is a key component of many sensory processes including balance, and hearing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiochem Pharmacol
August 2025
Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022,China. Electronic address:
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a type of chronic inflammatory disorders. The main pathological features of IBD include immune homeostasis disorder and intestinal epithelial barrier dysfunction, which jointly lead to the deterioration of IBD. Mechanosensation refers to the ability of an organism to sense mechanical stimuli (such as pressure, pulling and shearing forces) and make adaptive responses, which plays an important role in the peristalsis and dilation of the intestines.
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