Figure 7.

Mechanisms of gene regulation by mechanical stimuli [153]. (A) External mechanical forces deform nuclear scaffolds and chromatin organization, thereby altering assembly of transcription factors for gene regulation. (B) Forces transferred to specific chromatin regions tethered to lamins or other nuclear membrane receptors regulate the activities of assembled transcription factors or splicing factors. (C) Forces applied to nuclear pores change the pore size, thereby altering nuclear transport and gene expression by influencing mRNA transport. (D) Forces transferred to DNA through nuclear scaffolds separate the DNA double helix at specific regions, facilitating the binding of transcription factors to the region.