Molecular dynamics and force generation: shedding new light on cell mechanosensing and communication KU Leuven
Living tissues are more than packed cells. In fact, much of a tissue's volume is made up of extracellular space, filled with a complex meshwork of sugars, water, minerals and proteins called the extracellular matrix (ECM). Cells contain special structures called focal adhesions, the ‘fingers’ of the cell, which probe the surrounding matrix and neighboring cells. Depending on what they feel, cells will adapt their shape, size and structure in ...