Extracellular matrix tension

Stress fibers are parallel bundles of actin filaments that develop in the cytoplasm of fibroblasts from the cortical actin network in response to mechanical tension. These often bind to the plasma membrane at focal contacts and, through transmembrane linker glycoproteins, to the extracellular matrix. Thus, actin filaments of stress fibers indirectly Join to the inner face of the plasma membrane through molecular assemblies of attachment proteins, which include an actin-capping protein, a-actinin, vinculin, and talin (Small, 1988). 

While tissue isolation, immortalization, and proliferative status all can severely impact cell culture differentiation, other parameters are also critical such as nutrient concentrations, serum content, hormones, growth factors and cytokines, culture substrata, extracellular matrix components, and oxygen tension. 

Non-muscle cells transmit mechanical tension generated by the actin cytoskeleton to the extracellular matrix via focal adhesion sites (Ingber... 

As a major component of the natural extracellular matrix, HA has also attracted considerable attention in electrospinning. However, it is very difficult to electrospin an aqueous HA solution because its unusual high viscosity and surface tension both hinder the electrospinning process. In addition, the... 

Wang, N. and Ingber, D.E. Control of cytoskeletal mechanics by extracellular matrix, cell shape, and mechanical tension, Biophys. J., 66,2181,1994. 

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