
Physical force alone spurs gene expression, study reveals - pseudolus
https://phys.org/news/2020-04-physical-spurs-gene-reveals.html
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elevenoh
"We found that force can activate genes without intermediates, without enzymes
or signaling molecules in the cytoplasm," said University of Illinois
mechanical science and engineering professor Ning Wang, who led the research.
"We also discovered why some genes can be activated by force and some cannot."

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logfromblammo
That's a bad headline. It implies that nothing else influences gene
expression, when the article says that physical stretching of force-sensitive
histones can influence gene expression, without the assistance of any other
factors.

To be clear, factors other than physical force can also influence gene
expression.

~~~
hammock
>when the article says that

"study reveals"

>physical stretching of force-sensitive histones

"physical force"

>can influence gene expression,

"spurs gene expression"

>without the assistance of any other factors

"alone"

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vangelis
"He alone is capable of pulling the sword from the stone."

Does this imply he can pull the sword from the stone by himself or that only
he can pull the sword from the stone?

~~~
hammock
How about "ARM STRENGTH alone is capable of pulling the sword from the stone."

Does that mean that your leg muscles (which are stronger) are NOT capable of
pulling the sword? Does that mean a tractor can't do it?

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rubidium
Article is here:
[https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/14/eaay9095](https://advances.sciencemag.org/content/6/14/eaay9095)

Earlier work is described in the U of I press release:
[https://mechanical.illinois.edu/news/force-triggers-gene-
exp...](https://mechanical.illinois.edu/news/force-triggers-gene-expression-
stretching-chromatin) and available to read here:
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5121013/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5121013/)

Glad that none of the work was behind paywall!

~~~
vanderZwan
> _Force-induced gene up-regulation does not follow the weak power law but
> depends on H3K9 demethylation_

I'm sure it's common knowledge to people inside the field, but "The weak power
law" is quite vague for non-experts.

From the article I got this:

> _In this study, we reveal that high force frequency ( >50 Hz) does not
> induce rapid transcription, although the chromatin is being stretched to
> sufficient extents to allow for transcription. Over the last two decades,
> studies on the rheological responses of living cells demonstrate that living
> cells exhibit a gradual stiffening response to increasing force frequencies
> [i.e., the weak power law (12, 27)]._

Ok, that doesn't _really_ clarify that much for me. Is it the _(weak power)
law_ or the _weak (power law)_ , for example? I mean we're talking about
exerting force, both kind of could make sense.

Any experts willing to explain a bit?

~~~
kens
You got me curious. Apparently it's "weak power-law" and means a power-law
relationship only applies over part of the range. As opposed to strong power
law which applies over the full curve, or false power law where only a
truncated part of the data fits a power law.

Different types of power laws:
[https://arxiv.org/pdf/1507.03408.pdf](https://arxiv.org/pdf/1507.03408.pdf)

Power-law rheology of cells:
[https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev-
matsci...](https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/pdf/10.1146/annurev-
matsci-062910-100351)

~~~
vanderZwan
Thank you for looking it up!

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kyuudou
Wondering how this ties into epigenetics.

mount -o remount,rw /dev/dna /neurologicalsubsystem

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op03
Interesting.

So a nice punch in the face or a swift kick in the ass is not enough to
produce brain reprogramming. Frequency matters.

I have to test this out on my brother.

~~~
mywittyname
Well, to be more accurate: they are saying that proteins get created in
response to physical force. These don't necessarily "reprogram the brain."
It's just that punching your brother in the arm will result in a localized
response long before the chemical response arrives from other organs in
response to the brain's signals of pain.

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SubiculumCode
Considering that the primary force on my body is gravity, I wonder whether
these gene expression mechanisms underlie weight control...or rather more
specifically, my body's stubborn refusal to change weight downward.

~~~
James_Henry
There is some research on this. I'll try and find an article I read about it a
while ago.

Here it is: "Body weight homeostat that regulates fat mass independently of
leptin in rats and mice"
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5777058/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5777058/)

It's different than exactly what you were talking about, but the idea of
"gravitostat" is interesting so I thought I'd still add it.

~~~
SubiculumCode
Thanks! I also read this study a year or ago or so, thanks for reminding me.

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withinboredom
I’m curious how biologists thought callouses formed before this research?
Magic?

~~~
eganist
> I’m curious how biologists thought callouses formed before this research?
> Magic?

The answer wasn't really known, and the knowledge of this mechanism didn't
really exist. This release also doesn't specifically address calluses, though
past research (e.g.
[https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2133....](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2133.2010.09842.x))
doesn't quite result in a definitive hypothesis either. Could be mechanical,
or could be the body's response to damage to specific cells or structures in
the skin.

(I may have misstated the above. A dermatologist or other researcher focusing
on skin will likely have a more accurate answer than what I could dig up.)

P.s. cynicism is generally appreciated in science, but derision... not so
much.

