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Cell mechanics is a sub-field of biophysics that focuses on the mechanical properties and behavior of living cells and how it relates to cell function. [1] It encompasses aspects of cell biophysics , biomechanics , soft matter physics and rheology , mechanobiology and cell biology .
Cells generate and maintain mechanical forces within their environment as a part of their physiology. Cell biomechanics deals with how mRNA, protein production, and gene expression is affected by said environment and with mechanical properties of isolated molecules or interaction of proteins that make up molecular motors. [1]
Mechanobiology is an emerging field of science at the interface of biology, engineering, chemistry and physics. It focuses on how physical forces and changes in the mechanical properties of cells and tissues contribute to development, cell differentiation, physiology, and disease.
Their function is to give shape and tension to cells and tissues and they are also the site of cell-cell signaling. Adherens junctions are made of cell adhesion molecules from the cadherin family. There are over 100 types of cadherins, corresponding to the many different types of cells and tissues with varying anchoring needs.
At a tissue level, ignoring the means of control, morphogenesis arises because of cellular proliferation and motility. [9] Morphogenesis also involves changes in the cellular structure [10] or how cells interact in tissues. These changes can result in tissue elongation, thinning, folding, invasion or separation of one tissue into distinct layers.
Cells within tissues and organs must be anchored to one another and attached to components of the extracellular matrix. Cells have developed several types of junctional complexes to serve these functions, and in each case, anchoring proteins extend through the plasma membrane to link cytoskeletal proteins in one cell to cytoskeletal proteins in ...
Light micrograph of a moss's leaf cells at 400X magnification. The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to cell biology: . Cell biology – A branch of biology that includes study of cells regarding their physiological properties, structure, and function; the organelles they contain; interactions with their environment; and their life cycle, division, and death.
In biology, the extracellular matrix (ECM), [1] [2] also called intercellular matrix (ICM), is a network consisting of extracellular macromolecules and minerals, such as collagen, enzymes, glycoproteins and hydroxyapatite that provide structural and biochemical support to surrounding cells.