Mary Beckerle Part 3: Focal Adhesions as Stress Sensors

This lecture from the iBioSeminars project is presented by Mary C. Berckerle from the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah and covers a new frontier in cell biology; how cells respond to mechanical information. Cells and tissues are exposed to physical forces in vivo and excessive mechanical stress leads to a variety of pathological consequences. Beckerle describes a system for exposing cells to controlled mechanical stress and discuss the stretch response. The focal adhesion protein, zyxin, is exquisitely sensitive to mechanical stimulation and is required for the ability of cells to reinforce the actin cytoskeleton when challenged by exposure to cyclic stretch. This video is the last of three parts, running 30:57 minutes and can be downloaded in QuickTime, MP4, M4V, or PDF formats and with subtitles. The video can also be streamed through YouTube or iTunes U.