Proteoglycans in mechanobiology of tissues and organs: Normal functions and mechanopathology

Abstract

Proteoglycans (PGs) are a diverse class of glycoconjugates that serve critical functions in normal mechanobiology and mechanopathology. Both the protein cores and attached glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chains function in mechanically sensitive processes, and loss of either can contribute to development of pathological conditions. PGs function as key components of the extracellular matrix (ECM), where they can serve as mechanosensors in mechanosensitive tissues including bone, cartilage, tendon, blood vessels, and soft organs. The mechanical properties of these tissues depend on the presence and function of PGs, which play important roles in tissue elasticity, osmolarity, and pressure sensing, and response to physical activity. Tissue responses depend on cell surface mechanoreceptors that include integrins, CD44, voltage‐sensitive ion channels, transient receptor potential, and piezo channels. PGs contribute to cell and molecular interplay in wound healing, fibrosis, and cancer, where they transduce the mechanical properties of the ECM and influence the progression of various context‐specific conditions and diseases. The PGs that are most important in mechanobiology vary depending on the tissue and its functions and functional needs. Perlecan, for example, is important in the mechanobiology of basement membranes, cardiac muscle, and skeletal muscle, while aggrecan plays a primary role in the mechanical properties of cartilage and joints. A variety of techniques have been used to study the mechanobiology of PGs, including atomic force microscopy, mouse knockout models, and in vitro cell culture experiments with three‐dimensional organoid models. These studies have helped to elucidate the tissue‐specific roles that PGs play in cell‐level mechanosensing and tissue mechanics. Overall, the study of PGs in mechanobiology is yielding fundamental new concepts in the molecular basis of mechanosensing that can open the door to the development of new treatments for a host of conditions related to mechanopathology.