Department of Chemistry Seminar - Principles and Modulation of Mechanosensing Across Cytoskeletal and Membrane Proteins

Speaker: Prof. Jie YAN

Institution: Department of Physics, National University of Singapore, Singapore

Hosted by: Prof. Haibin SU

Abstract

Cells constantly experience mechanical forces, which they sense and convert into biochemical signals through mechanosensing and mechanotransduction. In this talk, I will discuss the molecular and biophysical principles that allow proteins to detect, transmit, and respond to force across cytoskeletal linkages, membrane receptors, and chromatin-associated systems. I will first highlight our work on talin as a paradigmatic force-sensing protein, showing how mechanical stretching exposes cryptic binding sites that regulate cell adhesion. I will then extend this principle to mechanosensitive membrane receptors, including Piezo1 and adhesion GPCRs, where direct molecular pulling can trigger receptor activation. I will further argue that piconewton-scale forces are prevalent within chromatin and are likely to play important roles in chromatin dynamics and genome regulation. Finally, I will discuss how force-transmission linkages may be modulated or targeted for therapeutic applications. Together, these examples illustrate how mechanical forces control molecular interactions across diverse cellular contexts and point to new opportunities for understanding and targeting mechanosensitive pathways in disease.