Animal Cell and Molecular Biology

Animal cell and molecular biology examines how cells are built, how they process information and energy, and how they respond to their physical and chemical environments. At its heart is the cell membrane—a fluid phospholipid bilayer studded with channels, transporters and receptors—that separates cytosol from extracellular fluid. Within, an intricate cytoskeleton of actin filaments, microtubules and intermediate filaments maintains cell shape, generates force and organises organelles. Subcellular compartments—nucleus, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi, mitochondria, lysosomes and peroxisomes—coordinate genome maintenance, protein and lipid biosynthesis, energy production and waste processing. Molecular signalling pathways convert growth factors, hormones and mechanical stimuli into cascades of kinase activities and transcriptional programmes that regulate cell-cycle progression, differentiation, migration and apoptosis. Mechanotransduction, mediated by elements such as adherens junctions and mechanoresponsive factors (YAP/TAZ, β-catenin), integrates physical forces with Wnt, Notch and MAPK networks to guide tissue patterning and morphogenesis. High-throughput ‘omics,’ live-cell imaging and genome-editing tools now allow dissection and rewiring of these processes, informing advances in regenerative medicine, cancer therapeutics, immunology and bioengineering.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Studies have revealed that mechanical strains generated during zebrafish epiboly and Drosophila mesoderm invagination phosphorylate a conserved tyrosine on β-catenin, releasing it from adherens junctions and enabling nuclear entry to activate mesoderm-specifying transcription factors—an evolutionarily ancient mechanosensitive pathway conserved across bilateria. In a complementary in vivo model, pulsatile mechanical waves in the mouse colon maintain physiological stem-cell levels through activation of the mechanosensitive Ret kinase. Chronic high-frequency pressure analogous to tumour growth drives Ret-dependent stem-cell hyperproliferation and malignant transformation, demonstrating how mechanical niches can both preserve tissue homeostasis and fuel cancer progression.

Animal Cell and Molecular Biology publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in animal cell and molecular biology across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Mechanotransduction: Conversion of mechanical forces into intracellular biochemical or genetic responses.

Adherens junction: A cadherin-catenin complex at cell–cell contacts that links the actin cytoskeleton between neighbouring cells and transmits mechanical cues.

YAP/TAZ: Co-activators in the Hippo pathway that shuttle to the nucleus in response to cytoskeletal tension to drive target gene expression.

Notch cleavage (S2/S3): Proteolytic activation steps of the Notch receptor that release the NICD for nuclear signalling following mechanical unfolding of its negative-regulatory region.

Ret kinase: A receptor tyrosine kinase with mechanosensitive activation that regulates colon stem-cell homeostasis and mediates pressure-induced proliferation.

References

1. Mechanical regulation of the Notch signaling pathway. Current Opinion in Cell Biology (2023).
2. Mechanical Tensions Regulate Gene Expression in the Xenopus laevis Axial Tissues. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2024).
3. Evolutionary conservation of early mesoderm specification by mechanotransduction in Bilateria. Nature Communications (2013).
4. Ret kinase-mediated mechanical induction of colon stem cells by tumor growth pressure stimulates cancer progression in vivo. Communications Biology (2022).
5. Emerging Role of Mechanical Forces in Cell Fate Acquisition. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology (2022).