Cellular mechanosensing of the biophysical microenvironment: A review of mathematical models of biophysical regulation of cell responses

Abstract

Cells in vivo reside within complex microenvironments composed of both biochemical and biophysical cues. The dynamic feedback between cells and their microenvironments hinges upon biophysical cues that regulate critical cellular behaviors. Understanding this regulation from sensing to reaction to feedback is therefore critical, and a large effort is afoot to identify and mathematically model the fundamental mechanobiological mechanisms underlying this regulation. This review provides a critical perspective on recent progress in mathematical models for the responses of cells to the biophysical cues in their microenvironments, including dynamic strain, osmotic shock, fluid shear stress, mechanical force, matrix rigidity, porosity, and matrix shape. The review highlights key successes and failings of existing models, and discusses future opportunities and challenges in the field.

Bacterial mechanosensing: the force will be with you, always

“…To survive and develop, eukaryotic cells have to adapt to a host of mechanical cues from the environment, such as matrix rigidity, substrate topography and fluid flow. Numerous studies have been conducted to understand how eukaryotes sense and respond to mechanical cues, thus using both physical and biological perspectives to establish the field of cellular mechanosensing (Cheng et al, 2017;Luo et al, 2013;Wang and Thampatty, 2006). Mechanosensing is identifiable when there is a biological response e.g.…”

How can we predict cellular mechanosensation?

“…al. [1] presents a very thorough and insightful review of mathematical models in the field and in doing so reveal that while much has been accomplished, there are many key questions that have yet to be answered. Some of these questions are: 1) Are cellular mechanosensing models conserved among all cell types (mammalian and non-mammalian cells), 2) How does the cell respond to multimodal modes of stimuli such as fluid shear stress and stretch, for example, and 3) How are multiple, simultaneously occurring mechanosensing events integrated to influence overall tissue function.…”

“…Cheng et al [1] explores mathematical models related to cellular mechanosening that are essential to understanding how cells respond to its biophysical microenvironment. Although we do not cover every model presented in this article, we are highlighting a few selected major mathematical models that are important in the field.…”

“…In this issue Cheng et al [1] presents a great review of cutting edge modeling approaches in mechanobiology. This field continues to expand at a fantastic rate and keeping all of the most recent work in perspective is advanced tremendously by this review.…”

Biotensegrity or Fascintegrity?

“…The cell is immersed in an environment of constant information, which stimulates and determines cellular behaviour, such as differentiation, migration and spreading: cellular survival depends on the ability to warn such information [4]. Mechanical information comes from the tension of the matrix extracellular, from stretching and shear stress of liquids [4]. The deformation of the cellular form in front of this information is the language that the cell uses with respect to its mechanometabolic environment.…”