Immune cells encounter tissues with vastly different biochemical and physical characteristics. Much of the research emphasis has focused on the role of cytokines and chemokines in regulating immune cell function, but the role of the physical microenvironment has received considerably less attention. The tissue mechanics, or stiffness, of healthy tissues varies dramatically from soft adipose tissue and brain to stiff cartilage and bone. Tissue mechanics also change due to fibrosis and with diseases such as atherosclerosis or cancer. The process by which cells sense and respond to their physical microenvironment is called mechanotransduction. Here we review mechanotransduction in immunologically important diseases and how physical characteristics of tissues regulate immune cell function, with a specific emphasis on mechanoregulation of macrophages and TLR signaling.
Keywords: Innate immunity; TLR signaling; macrophage; mechanosensing; mechanotransduction; stiffness.