ReviewOpen biology2021
The plastic cell: mechanical deformation of cells and tissues.
Review in Open biology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
22 citing papers in PubMed.
- Article
- Orthodontic loading modulates epithelial progenitor dynamics and enamel formation in the mouse mandibular incisor.Stem cell research & therapy · 2026Article
- Modeling epithelial deformation and cell rearrangement in response to external forces during Zebrafish epiboly.NPJ systems biology and applications · 2026Article
- Review
- Tools of the trade: leveraging 3DFrontiers in pharmacology · 2026Review
- Endogenous OptoRhoGEFs reveal biophysical principles of epithelial tissue furrowing.Nature communications · 2025Article
- Article
- Effects of Shear and Extensional Stresses on Cells: Investigation in a Spiral Microchannel and Contraction-Expansion Arrays.ACS biomaterials science & engineering · 2025Review
- A multimodal microfluidic-based platform integrating topographical and equibiaxial mechanical cues for next-generationFrontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2025Article
- Review
- SEMAPL bioengineering · 2023Article
- Targeting the mechano-microenvironment and liver cancer stem cells: a promising therapeutic strategy for liver cancer.Cancer biology & medicine · 2023Review
- A mechanism-based theory of cellular and tissue plasticity.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2023Article
- Basement membrane dynamics and mechanics in tissue morphogenesis.Biology open · 2023Review
- Iron overload triggering ECM-mediated Hippo/YAP pathway in follicle development: a hypothetical model endowed with therapeutic implications.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2023Review
- Mechanical Stretch Induced Skin Regeneration: Molecular and Cellular Mechanism in Skin Soft Tissue Expansion.International journal of molecular sciences · 2022Review
- A New Framework for Investigating the Biological Basis of Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy [AO Spine RECODE-DCM Research Priority Number 5]: Mechanical Stress, Vulnerability and Time.Global spine journal · 2022Article
- The Roles of Optogenetics and Technology in Neurobiology: A Review.Frontiers in aging neuroscience · 2022Review
- Crosstalk between basal extracellular matrix adhesion and building of apical architecture during morphogenesis.Biology open · 2021Review
- Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Epithelial cells possess the ability to change their shape in response to mechanical stress by remodelling their junctions and their cytoskeleton. This property lies at the heart of tissue morphogenesis in embryos. A key feature of embryonic cell shape changes is that they result from repeated mechanical inputs that make them partially irreversible at each step. Past work on cell rheology has rarely addressed how changes can become irreversible in a complex tissue. Here, we review new and exciting findings dissecting some of the physical principles and molecular mechanisms accounting for irreversible cell shape changes. We discuss concepts of mechanical ratchets and tension thresholds required to induce permanent cell deformations akin to mechanical plasticity. Work in different systems has highlighted the importance of actin remodelling and of E-cadherin endocytosis. We also list some novel experimental approaches to fine-tune mechanical tension, using optogenetics, magnetic beads or stretching of suspended epithelial tissues. Finally, we discuss some mathematical models that have been used to describe the quantitative aspects of accounting for mechanical cell plasticity and offer perspectives on this rapidly evolving field.
Indexed as
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.