機械刺激による細胞の形づくり

- 機械刺激の受容から応答へのシグナルフロー -

抄録

Cells show a variety of responses to mechanical stimuli which deform the cell membrane. In other word, cells can sense their shape change. However, the molecular mechanism of mechanosensation of the cell had remained unknown for a long time. This situation has been changed since the discovery of a mechanosensitive ion channel called stretch activated (SA) channel. The most popular type of SA channels is a Ca²⁺ -permeable type with a single channel conductance of ca. 40pS. Though we know little about their physiological functions in nonsensory cells, activation of SA channels may increase intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration, thereby elicits proper cell responses. This short article focuses on the recent progress in the SA channel-mediated signaling mechanism in the stretch-induced cell remodelling, where spatiotemporal structures of mechanical stresses are converted into the structure of cell.