Sensing forces: How plants convert mechanical cues into biological responses
Abstract
Plants encounter mechanical constraints from environmental forces and morphogenesis. Sensing these constraints induces downstream responses that are crucial for plant development and its plasticity in a changing environment. Here, we first provide an overview of the mechanical constraints acting on plants at multiple scales, ranging from organelles to organs. We then focus on the coupling between mechanical stimuli and biological signaling, referred to as mechanotransduction. We highlight distinct modes of coupling, including the sensing of lipid compaction and cell wall status by receptors and channels, as well as the mechanically induced reorganisation of cellular components such as the cytoskeleton and the plasma membrane. Finally, we discuss the diversity of downstream responses triggered by mechanotransduction and their temporal dynamics. We propose that the diversity of mechanotransduction modalities allows plants to decode mechanical signatures characterized by specific stimulus intensity, duration and frequency, thereby eliciting adaptive cellular and developmental responses.
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BibTeX
@article{vinet2026sensing,
title = {{Sensing forces: How plants convert mechanical cues into biological responses}},
author = {Pauline Vinet and Jean-Marie Frachisse and Sébastien Thomine and Pauline Durand-Smet},
journal = {Developmental Cell},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
doi = {10.1016/j.devcel.2026.05.003},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05829460v1},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Sensing forces: How plants convert mechanical cues into biological responses
AU - Pauline Vinet
AU - Jean-Marie Frachisse
AU - Sébastien Thomine
AU - Pauline Durand-Smet
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/10
JO - Developmental Cell
DO - 10.1016/j.devcel.2026.05.003
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05829460v1
AB - Plants encounter mechanical constraints from environmental forces and morphogenesis. Sensing these constraints induces downstream responses that are crucial for plant development and its plasticity in a changing environment. Here, we first provide an overview of the mechanical constraints acting on plants at multiple scales, ranging from organelles to organs. We then focus on the coupling between mechanical stimuli and biological signaling, referred to as mechanotransduction. We highlight distinct modes of coupling, including the sensing of lipid compaction and cell wall status by receptors and channels, as well as the mechanically induced reorganisation of cellular components such as the cytoskeleton and the plasma membrane. Finally, we discuss the diversity of downstream responses triggered by mechanotransduction and their temporal dynamics. We propose that the diversity of mechanotransduction modalities allows plants to decode mechanical signatures characterized by specific stimulus intensity, duration and frequency, thereby eliciting adaptive cellular and developmental responses.
SN - 1534-5807
SN - 1878-1551
ER -