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Molecular and Cellular Mechanobiology pp 163–173Cite as

Mechanotransduction to Epigenetic Remodeling

Part of the Physiology in Health and Disease book series (PIHD)

Abstract

Biophysical factors such as mechanical cues and micro/nano features of extracellular matrix regulate a variety of cell functions, including signal transduction from the cell surface to nucleus. Recent studies indicate that biophysical factors not only modulate immediate mechanotransduction and signaling, but also exert long-term effects on phenotypic changes, including stem cell differentiation and cell reprogramming. Both cell differentiation and reprogramming involve epigenetic state changes such as DNA methylation and histone methylation and acetylation, each of which affects gene expression independent of DNA sequence. There is emerging evidence that biophysical factors, in addition to transcriptional factors and biochemical factors, can regulate the epigenetic state of the cells and thus its phenotypic changes. This chapter will highlight the potential mechanisms through which mechanotransduction may lead to epigenetic modifications.

Keywords

  • Mechanotransduction
  • Nucleus
  • Chromatin
  • Epigenetic modification
  • Cell reprogramming

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Acknowledgement

This work was supported in part by grants from the National Institute of Health (HL117213).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, USA

    Douglas Kelkhoff, Timothy Downing & Song Li

  2. Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA

    Timothy Downing

  3. Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Song Li

Authors
  1. Douglas Kelkhoff
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  2. Timothy Downing
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  3. Song Li
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Song Li .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Professor of Bioengineering and Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA

    Shu Chien

  2. Associate Professor of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA

    Adam J. Engler

  3. Associate Professor of Bioengineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA

    Peter Yingxiao Wang

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© 2016 The American Physiological Society

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Kelkhoff, D., Downing, T., Li, S. (2016). Mechanotransduction to Epigenetic Remodeling. In: Chien, S., Engler, A., Wang, P. (eds) Molecular and Cellular Mechanobiology. Physiology in Health and Disease. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-5617-3_8

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