The collagenous extracellular matrix of many tissues is interrelated with cellular mechanosensing and mechanobiology. With applied forces, elastic deformation, viscous relaxation, and plasticity of the extracellular matrix are commonly studied in health and disease in in vivo and in vitro systems. The biosynthesis, assembly, and degradation of collagen fiber networks are integral parts of regenerative and aberrant tissue remodeling. Maladaptive collagen remodeling is involved in diseases such as fibrosis, myopathy, tendinopathy, and stiffening, and in tissues such as the liver, lung, muscle, arteries, and the tendon.
This collection of articles explores topics in the mechanics, composition, and organization of collagen networks, change of cellular behavior caused by mechanosensing of the various matrices, and the long-term remodeling of collagen in tissues. Recent advances have shed light on the mechanisms of cell mechanobiology and mechanosensing as well as collagen biosynthesis, crosslinking, and degradation. These advancements in understanding cell-matrix interactions have brought us closer to understanding the mechanobiology of collagen remodeling in health and disease.
Original research, reviews, and perspective articles on:
• Experimental and theoretical models of the mechanobiology of cells and collagen gels
• Characterization of the organization of collagen in healthy and diseased tissues
• The response of collagen networks to cellular tension in the stroma of diseased tissues
• The biosynthesis and degradation of collagen and the related extracellular biopolymers and their relation to mechanosensing
• Omics approaches to the spectrum of cellular phenotypes in diseased tissues
The collagenous extracellular matrix of many tissues is interrelated with cellular mechanosensing and mechanobiology. With applied forces, elastic deformation, viscous relaxation, and plasticity of the extracellular matrix are commonly studied in health and disease in in vivo and in vitro systems. The biosynthesis, assembly, and degradation of collagen fiber networks are integral parts of regenerative and aberrant tissue remodeling. Maladaptive collagen remodeling is involved in diseases such as fibrosis, myopathy, tendinopathy, and stiffening, and in tissues such as the liver, lung, muscle, arteries, and the tendon.
This collection of articles explores topics in the mechanics, composition, and organization of collagen networks, change of cellular behavior caused by mechanosensing of the various matrices, and the long-term remodeling of collagen in tissues. Recent advances have shed light on the mechanisms of cell mechanobiology and mechanosensing as well as collagen biosynthesis, crosslinking, and degradation. These advancements in understanding cell-matrix interactions have brought us closer to understanding the mechanobiology of collagen remodeling in health and disease.
Original research, reviews, and perspective articles on:
• Experimental and theoretical models of the mechanobiology of cells and collagen gels
• Characterization of the organization of collagen in healthy and diseased tissues
• The response of collagen networks to cellular tension in the stroma of diseased tissues
• The biosynthesis and degradation of collagen and the related extracellular biopolymers and their relation to mechanosensing
• Omics approaches to the spectrum of cellular phenotypes in diseased tissues
