Immune cells encounter tissues with vastly different biochemical and physical characteristics. Much of the research emphasis has focused on the role of cytokines and chemokines in regulating immune cell function, but the role of the physical microenvironment has received considerably less attention. The tissue mechanics, or stiffness, of healthy tissues varies dramatically from soft adipose tissue and brain to stiff cartilage and bone. Tissue mechanics also change due to fibrosis and with diseases such as atherosclerosis or cancer. The process by which cells sense and respond to their physical microenvironment is called mechanotransduction. Here we review mechanotransduction in immunologically important diseases and how physical characteristics of tissues regulate immune cell function, with a specific emphasis on mechanoregulation of macrophages and TLR signaling.

免疫细胞遇到具有截然不同的生化和物理特征的组织。许多研究重点都集中在细胞因子和趋化因子在调节免疫细胞功能中的作用上，但物理微环境的作用却很少受到关注。健康组织的组织力学或刚度变化很大，从软脂肪组织和大脑到僵硬的软骨和骨骼。由于纤维化和动脉粥样硬化或癌症等疾病，组织力学也会发生变化。细胞感知和响应其物理微环境的过程称为机械转导。在这里，我们回顾了免疫学重要疾病中的机械转导以及组织的物理特征如何调节免疫细胞功能，