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Cited by 485

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 176 of the 176 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Tensegrity, cellular biophysics, and the mechanics of living systems

Open access
Ingber, Donald E, Wang, Ning, Stamenović, Dimitrije·2014·Reports on Progress in Physics

Abstract

The recent convergence between physics and biology has led many physicists to enter the fields of cell and developmental biology. One of the most exciting areas of interest has been the emerging field of mechanobiology that centers on how cells control their mechanical properties, and how physical forces regulate cellular biochemical responses, a process that is known as mechanotransduction. In this article, we review the central role that tensegrity (tensional integrity) architecture, which depends on tensile prestress for its mechanical stability, plays in biology. We describe how tensional prestress is a critical governor of cell mechanics and function, and how use of tensegrity by cells contributes to mechanotransduction. Theoretical tensegrity models are also described that predict both quantitative and qualitative behaviors of living cells, and these theoretical descriptions are placed in context of other physical models of the cell. In addition, we describe how tensegrity is used at multiple size scales in the hierarchy of life—from individual molecules to whole living organisms—to both stabilize three-dimensional form and to channel forces from the macroscale to the nanoscale, thereby facilitating mechanochemical conversion at the molecular level.

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Metadata

Authors
Ingber, D. E., Wang, N., & Stamenović, D.
Venue
Reports on Progress in Physics
Published
2014-04-01
Volume
77
Issue
4
Pages
046603
ISSN
  • 0034-4885 (ISSN-L)
  • 1361-6633
OpenAlex
W1978514943
Cited by
485
References
176
FWCI
16.83
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
green

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: Tensegrity, cellular biophysics, and the mechanics of living systems. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1088/0034-4885/77/4/046603
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Ingber, D. E., Wang, N., & Stamenović, D. (2014). Tensegrity, cellular biophysics, and the mechanics of living systems. Reports on Progress in Physics. https://doi.org/10.1088/0034-4885/77/4/046603

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