Existing engineering models of cells of cell mechanics fail to incorporate current knowledge of the molecular intricacy of living cells. An alternative model of cfell structure based on tensegrity archtiecture suggests that complex mechanical behaviors emerge in cells from collective interactions among different cytoskeletal filaments which are organized within hierarchical networks athat are tensionally prestressed to ensure shape stability. This discrete network model has been controlversial because it goes against prevailing views. In this article, I will review the concept behind cellular tensegrity, explain how it has become translated into mathematical terms over time, and provide reference to recent studies which provide experimental verification of predictions that have arisen from this theoretical model. Taken together, these findings suggest that tensegrity represents a robust and unified model of cell mechanics which,in contrast to alternative approaches, may facilitate future understanding of the link between mechanics and biochemistry.
展开▼
