Mechanical control of cyclic AMP signalling and gene transcription throughintegrins

This study was carried out to discriminate between two alternative hypothes es as to how cells sense mechanical forces and transduce them into changes in gene transcription. Do cells sense mechanical signals through generalize d membrane distortion(1,2) or through specific transmembrane receptors, suc h as integrins(3)? Here we show that mechanical stresses applied to the cel l surface alter the cyclic AMP signalling cascade and downstream gene trans cription by modulating local release of signals generated by activated inte grin receptors in a G-protein-dependent manner, whereas distortion of integ rins in the absence of receptor occupancy has no effect.