Figure 1.

Mechanotransduction of cells in vivo. A. Cells are embedded in an environment composed of extracellular matrix and local milieu that exert various biophysical pressures. B. Among the biophysical pressures are physical stimuli, such as tensile forces, compressive forces, and shear stresses, and electrical stimuli from neural cells and local fields. C. In response to biophysical stimulation, cells transduce such signals from the membrane to the nucleus through the cytoskeleton in order to influence gene expression and cell fate.

From reference 2, with permission