Intracellular mechanics: connecting rheology and mechanotransduction

Abstract

Cell mechanics is crucial for a wide range of cell functions, including proliferation, polarity, migration and differentiation. Cells sense external physical cues and translate them into a cellular response. While force sensing occurs in the vicinity of the plasma membrane, forces can reach deep in the cell interior and to the nucleus. We review here the recent developments in the field of intracellular mechanics. We focus first on intracellular rheology, the study of the mechanical properties of the cell interior, and recapitulate the contribution of active mechanisms, the cytoskeleton and intracellular organelles to cell rheology. We then discuss how forces are transmitted inside the cell during mechanotransduction events, through direct force transmission and biochemical signaling, and how intracellular rheology and mechanotransduction are connected.