Nuclear Mechanotransduction in Cellular Mechanobiology and Molecular Mechanomedicine

It is known that mechanical forces play critical roles in physiology and diseases but the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown[1].Most studies on the role of forces focus on cell surface molecules and cytoplasmic proteins.However,increasing evidence suggests that nuclear mechanotransduction impacts nuclear activities and functions.Recently we have revealed that transgene dihydrofolate reductase（DHFR）gene expression is directly upregulated via cell surface forceinduced stretching of chromatin [2].Here we show that endogenous genes are also upregulated directly by force via integrins.We present evidence on an underlying mechanism of how gene transcription is regulated by force.We have developed a technique of elastic round microgels to quantify 3D tractions in vitro and in vivo[3].We report a synthetic small molecule（which has been stiffened structurally）that inhibits malignant tumor repopulating cell growth in a low-stiffness（force）microenvironment and cancer metastasis in mouse models without detectable toxicity[4].These findings suggest that direct nuclear mechanotransduction impacts mechanobiology and mechanomedicine at cellular and molecular levels.