The linkage of cells to their microenvironment is mediated by a series of bonds that dynamically engage and disengage, in what has been conceptualized as the molecular clutch model. Whereas this model has long been employed to describe actin cytoskeleton and cell migration dynamics, it has recently been proposed to also explain mechanotransduction (i.e., the process by which cells convert mechanical signals from their environment into biochemical signals). Here we review the current understanding on how cell dynamics and mechanotransduction are driven by molecular clutch dynamics and its master regulator, the force loading rate. Throughout this Review, we place a specific emphasis on the quantitative prediction of cell response enabled by combined experimental and theoretical approaches.

细胞与其微环境之间的联系是由一系列键介导的，这些键在分子离合器模型中被动态地接合和分离。尽管此模型已长期用于描述肌动蛋白的细胞骨架和细胞迁移动力学，但最近有人提出它也可以解释机械转导（即细胞将环境中的机械信号转化为生化信号的过程）。在这里，我们回顾当前对细胞动力学和机械转导如何由分子离合器动力学及其主调节器（力加载率）驱动的理解。在整个审查过程中，我们特别强调通过实验和理论相结合的方法对细胞反应进行定量预测。