Abstract
This Commentary describes a call for submissions for the upcoming special issue focused on the state of the art of cardiovascular mechanobiology research and the newest insights into the role of mechanical forces in cardiovascular development, physiology, and disease
Cells in the human body are exposed to a variety of different forces which they sense and respond to. This is especially true for the cardiovascular system, where cells react for instance to blood flow, stretching forces from the filling of the heart with blood, or extracellular matrix stiffness. These parameters change throughout development and further in disease, which can dramatically impact the behavior of the sensing cells and the disease progression: blood flow and wall stress are sensed by endothelial cells in the arteries and determine the sites of atherosclerotic plaque formation; reduced ejection fraction leads to excessive stretching of cardiomyocytes in the ventricle with detrimental effects on cardiomyocyte signaling and function; and the cardiac extracellular matrix and also cardiomyocytes themselves stiffen as a response to injuries or diseases and lead to a loss of contractile function.
Detailed knowledge of the source and the parameters of the forces as well as the mechanisms used by cells to sense and respond to them can help to understand disease mechanisms and identify to new paths of treating cardiovascular and other diseases. Unsurprisingly, mechanobiology as a discipline dedicated to the study of (sub-) cellular forces, topographies, and mechanically responsive molecules or complexes has been growing in importance. Methods initially being developed and used by only a few specialty labs have become standard techniques in cell and developmental biology. Similarly, the field of cardiovascular biology has seen a strong increase in publications related to mechanobiology over the past decades. This special issue is aiming to take stock at the recent developments and current state of the art of cardiovascular mechanobiology and will cover all topics related to the investigation into the role of mechanical forces in cardiovascular development, physiology, and disease.
The Special Issue will be prepared and edited by the current authors (Pamela Swiatlowska and Thomas Iskratsch).
Submission deadline
Review articles are requested to be submitted prior to July 23rd of 2021 with online publication scheduled for Issue 5 of that same year. When submitting your article, please choose the correct Special Issue assignment so that your article is not accidentally included in the regular article section. Please also suggest three Reviewers capable of reviewing your manuscript.
Submission format
Biophysical Reviews publishes two types of review formats: a short review (3000–4000 words, 3 figures) or a long review (10,000 words, 10 figures).
Journal homepage: http://www.springer.com/journal/12551
Online submission: https://www.editorialmanager.com/brev/ Journal social media
TwitterTM: @BiophysicalRev1
YouTubeTM: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzG_ 5MWmnrB2UBibtxs2DuA
Publication cost
Biophysical Reviews is a hybrid open-access journal and therefore operates on a two-track payment structure. The first track is completely free but requires that the article exists behind a paywall (for institutions not carrying the Springer Nature Collection) for 6 to 12 months. The second track involves an open-access charge of approximately 3000 Euros. Both tracks give a highly desirable publishing outcome for the author. Please contact the Special Issue Editors for further description of this point.
Footnotes
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