Review Papers
Skin of sea cucumbers: the smart connective tissue that alters mechanical properties in response to external stimuli
2019 年 8 巻 1 号 p. 2-5
詳細
2019 年 8 巻 1 号 p. 2-5
Catch connective tissue (CCT) is the connective tissue that shows large stiffness changes in response to stimulation under nervous control. The dermis of sea cucumbers is a typical example of CCT. Mechanical properties of the dermis are determined by the extracellular materials that are made of collagen fibrils embedded in a hydrogel of proteoglycans. The dermis takes 3 mechanical states soft (Sa), standard (Sb) and stiff (Sc). Different molecular mechanisms of stiffening have been found in the transition Sa→Sb and in the transition Sb→Sc. In this article I will review my works on this intelligent material.
