1. Mechanisms of Mechanotransduction
A. Wayne Orr, Brian P. Helmke, Brett R. Blackman, Martin A. Schwartz 
Developmental Cell 
Volume 10, Issue 1, Pages (January 2006)
DOI: /j.devcel
Copyright © 2006 Elsevier Inc. Terms and Conditions

2. Figure 1 Stretch-Activated Channels
Two likely mechanisms by which membrane tension can trigger channel opening include the following.
(A) For any channel where the open state occupies greater area in the membrane than the closed state, the free energy of the open state will be lower according to ΔG = Δarea × tension.
(B) Tension causes thinning of the lipid bilayer; if the hydrophobic transmembrane domain is thinner in the open state, channel opening will be favored to avoid the energetic cost of hydrophobic mismatch.
Developmental Cell  , 11-20DOI: ( /j.devcel )
Copyright © 2006 Elsevier Inc. Terms and Conditions

3. Figure 2 Tension-Induced Protein Conformation Changes
Force could trigger exposure of enzymatic activities or binding sites through changes in protein conformation (A) or folding (B).
Developmental Cell  , 11-20DOI: ( /j.devcel )
Copyright © 2006 Elsevier Inc. Terms and Conditions

4. Figure 3 Cooperative Transduction within Multiprotein Complexes
Using focal adhesions as a model, tension could trigger (A) alterations in clustering of receptors and cytoskeletal structures or (B) changes in accessibility of binding sites for other proteins.
Developmental Cell  , 11-20DOI: ( /j.devcel )
Copyright © 2006 Elsevier Inc. Terms and Conditions