The cell surface is a mechanobiological unit that encompasses the plasma membrane, its interacting proteins, and the complex underlying cytoskeleton. Recently, attention has been directed to the mechanics of the plasma membrane, and in particular membrane tension, which has been linked to diverse cellular processes such as cell migration and membrane trafficking. However, how tension across the plasma membrane is regulated and propagated is still not completely understood. Here, we review recent efforts to study the interplay between membrane tension and the cytoskeletal machinery and how they control cell form and function. We focus on factors that have been proposed to affect the propagation of membrane tension and as such could determine whether it can act as a global or local regulator of cell behavior. Finally, we discuss the limitations of the available tool kit as new approaches that reveal its dynamics in cells are needed to decipher how membrane tension regulates diverse cellular processes.

中文翻译：

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注意膜张力：细胞表面的力学生物学。


细胞表面是一个机械生物学单元，包含质膜、其相互作用的蛋白质以及复杂的底层细胞骨架。最近，人们的注意力集中在质膜的力学上，特别是膜张力，它与细胞迁移和膜运输等多种细胞过程有关。然而，跨质膜的张力是如何调节和传播的仍不完全清楚。在这里，我们回顾了最近研究膜张力和细胞骨架机制之间的相互作用以及它们如何控制细胞形式和功能的努力。我们关注已被提出的影响膜张力传播的因素，因此可以确定它是否可以充当细胞行为的全局或局部调节器。最后，我们讨论了可用工具包的局限性，因为需要揭示其在细胞中动态的新方法来破译膜张力如何调节不同的细胞过程。