Proteins that control tissue sensing, response to mechanical forces discovered

The study, led by Deborah Leckband, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, found that cadherins, which bind to growth factor receptors, sense mechanical forces and respond by altering cellular communication and growth
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The findings were published in PNAS
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When growth factor receptors bind to cadherin molecules in normal tissue, they are unable to communicate with growth factor proteins—the substances they need to promote tissue growth
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To demonstrate how tension affects tissue growth, the researchers set up an experiment to see how human cancer cells convert mechanical information into biochemical signals in vitro, Leckband said
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The team used a homemade "cell stretcher" in which cancer cells grow in thin layers on the surface of a flexible medium
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"This study demonstrates that cadherin uses force to turn on biochemical growth signals," Leckband said
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The team has already observed the cadherin growth factor receptor complex in human epithelial tissue and plans to expand on this concept by studying ex vivo human breast tissue
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Brendan Sullivan, Taylor Light, Vinh Vu, Adrian Kapustka, Kalina Hristova, Deborah Leckband.