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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2013 Oct 1.
Published in final edited form as: Semin Cancer Biol. 2012 May 18;22(5-6):385–395. doi: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2012.05.002

Figure 1.

Figure 1

External mechanical forces are transmitted to the cell by the extracellular matrix through the cell’s integrins, and the cells can apply a force to the extracellular matrix through the same integrins. The external mechanical forces are internally transmitted or applied through the cell’s cytoskeletal proteins or filaments. Thus mechanical forces can be transmitted in both directions (outside-in and inside-out), while the cell’s response to cytokines, transmitted through the cell’s receptors, are one directional (inside-out).