From embryonic development, postnatal growth and adult homeostasis to reparative and
disease states, cells and tissues undergo constant changes in genome activity, cell fate …

Collective cell migration is a key driver of embryonic development, wound healing, and
some types of cancer invasion. Here, we provide a physical perspective of the mechanisms …

YAP is a mechanosensitive transcriptional activator with a critical role in cancer,
regeneration, and organ size control. Here, we show that force applied to the nucleus …

The way in which cells coordinate their behaviours during various biological processes,
including morphogenesis, cancer progression and tissue remodelling, largely depends on …

Cells exert, sense, and respond to physical forces through an astounding diversity of
mechanisms. Here we review recently developed tools to quantify the forces generated by …

Cell function depends on tissue rigidity, which cells probe by applying and transmitting
forces to their extracellular matrix, and then transducing them into biochemical signals. Here …

Cell–cell junctions are specializations of the plasma membrane responsible for physically
integrating cells into tissues. We are now beginning to appreciate the diverse impacts that …

Control of the structure and function of three-dimensional multicellular tissues depends
critically on the spatial and temporal coordination of cellular physical properties, yet the …

Shear stress is essential for normal physiology and malignancy. Common physiological
processes–such as blood flow, particle flow in the gut, or contact between migratory cell …

Chemical and physical properties of the environment control cell proliferation, differentiation,
or apoptosis in the long term. However, to be able to move and migrate through a complex …