Adhesion and Mechanotransduction

This lecture covers the structure and mechanics of mammalian cells, including the cytoskeleton, motor proteins, nucleus, plasma membrane, adhesion, modes of migration, mechanosensation, mechanotransduction, Rho signaling, and transcription factors. It delves into actin dynamics, architecture, and mechanics, specialized actin organizations, mesenchymal migration, integrins, ion-channel opening, and the molecular clutch hypothesis. The instructor explains the functional organization of the genome, integrin-mediated mechanotransduction, catch bonds, receptor clustering, and the role of vinculin in forming catch bonds with F-actin. The lecture also explores super-resolution microscopy, the 3D nanoscale architecture of focal adhesions, PALM technology, nuclear mechanotransduction, mechanobiology, and potential mechanisms of nuclear mechanosensing.