Invited
Elastic-mediated interactions between cells: cell-biomaterial interaction and mechano-chemical coupling

Cell-cell communication enables cells to coordinate their activity and is essential for growth, development and function. Intercellular communication is discussed almost exclusively as having a chemical or an electrical origin, however; recent experiments demonstrate that cells can communicate mechanically by responding to mechanical deformations generated by their neighbors. Molecular mechanosensors in the cell convert mechanical force into a biochemical signal by coupling reaction rates or local remodeling of self-assembled structures to force. The characteristics of mechanical communication, its role and its ability to regulate biochemical processes within the cell are still largely unknown.

In this talk, I will describe the progress made in our lab in understanding the role of mechanical communication in synchronized cardiac cell beating and in the sensory organ of the fly.

Our results demonstrate that elastic interaction mediated by cell-generated mechanical deformations is a unique type of interaction which is both long ranged and induces long lasting alterations in interacting cells. In addition I will describe our progress towards design of protein-engineered biomaterials that promote mechanical coupling between cells.