Lipidomics and Metabolomics NCB-D36852A Romani et al.

Cells in tissues constantly experience mechanical forces imposed by surrounding cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM). Cells probe their mechanical environment with mechanoreceptors and mechanosensitive protein complexes, which then regulate mechanotransduction signaling pathways to induce the appropriate biological response. However, how metabolism is modulated by the mechanical microenvironment has only started to be addressed. Here we identify accumulation of lipids and cholesterol as a general cellular response to mechanical signals delivered by cell-matrix adhesions. Our findings identify a general mechanosensitive mechanism centered on Golgi dynamics and SREBP by which the physical cell microenvironment regulates a key metabolic pathway.