In cells, the actin cytoskeleton is regulated by an interplay between mechanics and biochemistry. A key mechanism, which has emerged based on converging indications from structural, cellular, and biophysical data, depicts the actin filament as a mechanically tunable substrate: mechanical stress applied to an actin filament induces conformational changes, which modify the binding and the regulatory action of actin-binding proteins. For a long time, however, direct evidence of this mechanotransductive mechanism was very scarce. This situation is changing rapidly, and recent in vitro single-filament studies using different techniques have revealed that several actin-binding proteins are able to sense tension, curvature, and/or torsion, applied to actin filaments. Here, we discuss these recent advances and their possible implications.

在细胞中，肌动蛋白的细胞骨架受力学和生物化学之间相互作用的调节。基于来自结构，细胞和生物物理数据的趋同指示而出现的关键机制，将肌动蛋白丝描述为机械可调的底物：施加于肌动蛋白丝的机械应力诱导构象变化，从而改变了肌动蛋白的结合和调节作用。肌动蛋白结合蛋白。但是，很长一段时间以来，这种机械转导机制的直接证据非常匮乏。这种情况正在迅速改变，最近在体外使用不同技术的单丝研究表明，几种肌动蛋白结合蛋白能够感知施加于肌动蛋白丝的张力，曲率和/或扭转。在这里，我们讨论这些最新进展及其可能的含义。