The unrecognized role of mechanotransduction in brain development
In an article just published in the journal Trends in Neurosciences, Laurent Nguyen's team (Laboratoire de Régulation Moléculaire de la Neurogenèse - GIGA-Stem Cells) reveals the essential role played by mechanotransduction in the developing brain - or how neurons and their progenitors interpret the physical constraints of their environment in order to differentiate.
T
he cellular complexity of the brain has long fascinated neurobiologists. Despite the accumulation of knowledge in recent decades, we still do not understand how the intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms underlying brain formation are coordinated. Brain development is a long process that is initiated during fetal life. Among the cellular events involved in its development, the migration and functional integration of neurons within the cerebral parenchyma represent key stages that, when disrupted, often lead to malformations accompanied by neurological deficits. The mechanisms that govern these processes involve the coordination of genetic programs with the reception and integration of signals received from the extracellular environment. Among these signals, those that impose physical constraints (via the extracellular matrix or direct contact with neighboring cells) on the cell and nuclear membranes can, via mechanotransduction, promote the maturation of neurons. The study of "mechanical" events and their intracellular transduction belong to the field of mechanobiology, which remains little studied to date in the nervous system. This article summarizes and analyzes current knowledge at the crossroads of neurobiology and mechanobiology and suggests that their integration will lead to a better understanding of the steps that shape the cerebral cortex and those that lead to cerebral malformations associated with neurological dysfunctions.
Source
Mechanical Forces Orchestrate Brain Development
Javier-Torrent M, Zimmer-Bensch G, Nguyen L. Trends Neurosci. 2020 Nov 14:S0166-2236(20)30245-9. doi: 10.1016/j.tins.2020.10.012.
Online ahead of print.
