Mechanotransduction - Background

During evolution, mechanical stimulation, as well as other physical factors such as temperature, pH, and light has been a critical environmental signal sensed by cells.

It is plausible that the intracellular signal transduction pathways originally developed by cells to respond to those basic physical stimuli have been preserved during evolution and further developed to respond to other external stimuli.

Thus the biochemical reactions involved in mechanotransduction may be shared by other stimuli. The signaling events initiated by mechanical stimulation include generation of second messengers, change of phosphorylation status of proteins, amplification through enzymatic cascades, and transmission via a complicated network of signaling molecules.

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