Mechano-reception in osteoblast-like cells

Response to mechanical stimulation is a basic biological phenomenon. Nearly all cells process mechanical input and respond to it by inducing and modulating biochemical pathways. In organisms with tissues, if the average mechanical load is increased, some tissues can increase their performance and often increase their bulk by cell division. A reduction in mechanical loading decreases performance, catabolic activity gains, and the tissue degenerates. The process of anabolism and catabolism regulated by mechanical loading is a second-to-second, minute-to-minute, and hour-to-hour process that works together with local and systemic hormones to ensure that the tissue can meet the demands of the mechanical environment. On the other hand, a mechanical load that is too high can cause tissue and matrix failure and damage to the cells, which can result in inflammation. In this paper, we review the possible biophysical and cell biological mechanisms that might be responsible for transducing physiological and hyperphysiological mechanical loading into the biological response of skeletal cells. We speculate on what the mechanism of mechano-transduction in bone might be compared with that of other cells and on how information produced by mechanical loading might be passed on to other cells to achieve a coordinated tissue response.