Mechanochemical transduction figure

A number of protein kinases have been implicated in mechanochemical transduction and activation of phosphorelay systems (see Figures 9.2 to 9.4 for some of these molecules). They include the following. 

Figure 9.6. Diagram illustrating the pretension present in the superficial zone of articular cartilage. Normal articular cartilage shown at the top is loaded in tension across the surface like a drumhead that is pulled taut over a drum. When a piece of cartilage is cut from the surface, it curls as a result of release of this tension, as shown in the lower diagram. The presence of tension in the superficial zone makes articular cartilage behave like a drumhead, allowing compressive forces applied to the surface at specific points to be distributed across the surface to lower local stresses. The presence of tension on the chondrocytes in the superficial layer may be important to limit inflammation and support reparative processes by stimulating mechanochemical transduction.

Figure 10.2. Mean elastic and viscous stress-strain curves for cartilage. Plot of elastic (A) and viscous (B) stress-strain curves for cartilage as a function of visual grade. The visual grade used was 1, shiny and smooth 2, slightly fibrillated 3, mildly fibrillated 4, fibrillated 5, very fibrillated and 6, fissured. The equation for the linear approximation for the stress-strain curve for each group is given, as well as the correlation coefficient. Note the decreased slope with increased severity of osteoarthritis. This data is consistent with down-regulation of mechanochemical transduction and tissue catabolism.

Figure 2.20. Elastic-contractile model proteins are used as temporciry functional scaffolding for soft tissue restoration by means of an attached normal cell capable of mechanochemical transduction to restore a natural tissue. A Elastic matrices without cell attachment sequences show no attachment of human fibroblasts. B Elastic matrix with cell attach-...

Figure 9.21. Cellular mechanochemical transduction makes possible tissue restoration by elastic protein materials containing cell attachment sequences that function as temporary functional scaffoldings. The attached cells become stretched as the matrix is stretched. The forces and frequencies of the stretch/relaxation cycles provide the chemical signal to the nucleus to turn on the genes for production of an extracellular matrix sufficient to...

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