Under pressure: Mechanical stress is a key driver of cell-cell fusion
Thursday, February 12, 2015 - 21:30
in Biology & Nature
Just as human relationships are a two-way street, fusion between cells requires two active partners: one to send protrusions into its neighbor, and one to hold its ground and help complete the process. Researchers have found that one way the receiving cell plays its role is by having a key structural protein come running in response to pressure on the cell membrane, rather than waiting for chemical signals to tell it that it's needed.