Biophysics and Modeling of Mechanotransduction in Neurons: A Review

Martina Nicoletti, Letizia Chiodo and Alessandro Loppini
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Martina Nicoletti: Nonlinear Physics and Mathematical Models Research Unit, Engineering Department, Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome, Via Á. del Portillo 21, 00128 Rome, Italy
Letizia Chiodo: Nonlinear Physics and Mathematical Models Research Unit, Engineering Department, Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome, Via Á. del Portillo 21, 00128 Rome, Italy
Alessandro Loppini: Nonlinear Physics and Mathematical Models Research Unit, Engineering Department, Campus Bio-Medico University of Rome, Via Á. del Portillo 21, 00128 Rome, Italy

Mathematics, 2021, vol. 9, issue 4, 1-32

Abstract: Mechanosensing is a key feature through which organisms can receive inputs from the environment and convert them into specific functional and behavioral outputs. Mechanosensation occurs in many cells and tissues, regulating a plethora of molecular processes based on the distribution of forces and stresses both at the cell membrane and at the intracellular organelles levels, through complex interactions between cells’ microstructures, cytoskeleton, and extracellular matrix. Although several primary and secondary mechanisms have been shown to contribute to mechanosensation, a fundamental pathway in simple organisms and mammals involves the presence of specialized sensory neurons and the presence of different types of mechanosensitive ion channels on the neuronal cell membrane. In this contribution, we present a review of the main ion channels which have been proven to be significantly involved in mechanotransduction in neurons. Further, we discuss recent studies focused on the biological mechanisms and modeling of mechanosensitive ion channels’ gating, and on mechanotransduction modeling at different scales and levels of details.

Keywords: mechanosensing; mechanotransduction; ion channels; neurons; modeling; atomistic modeling; molecular dynamics; multiscale; biomechanics; mechanobiology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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