The push and pull of cell mechanics: defining a new mechanotransduction pathway regulating cellular interactions with the extracellular environment

成纤维细胞是组织发育、结构和稳态的动态调节者。成纤维细胞的不适当活化主要促成癌症和纤维化疾病的病理生理学。我们已经发现了一个新的Rho GT3效应通路，它提供了一个关键的细胞外机械线索和细胞行为之间的联系，分子机制仍然模糊。在这个令人兴奋的项目中，我们将结合联合收割机最先进的遗传模型，再加上生物物理技术和先进的活细胞显微镜，以了解这种新的途径如何调节细胞力学。这项跨学科研究提供了一个独特的机会，探索细胞如何感知和响应物理世界，对疾病产生重大影响。

Fibroblasts are dynamic regulators of tissue development, structure and homeostasis. Inappropriate activation of fibroblasts centrally contributes to the pathophysiology of cancer and fibrotic disease. We have discovered a new Rho GTPase effector pathway, which provides a pivotal link between extracellular mechanical cues and cellular behaviour; the molecular mechanisms remain obscure. In this exciting project, we will combine state-of-the-art genetic models, coupled with biophysical techniques and advanced live-cell microscopy, to understand how this novel pathway regulates cellular mechanics. This interdisciplinary study provides a unique opportunity to explore how cells sense and respond to the physical world, with significant impact for disease.