Review Questions

1. Define homeostasis in the context of a biological organism.
   


2. Give some examples of organs sensitive to mechanical force.
   


3. True or False? Excessive mechanical load on the heart leads to cardiac hypertrophy via an increase in the number of cardiomyocytes.
   


4. What is the term for the structure found at concentrated sites of integrin-based adhesion to the substratum?
   


5. Upon uniaxial cyclic stretch of cultured fibroblast cells, what changes are observed in the actin cytoskeleton?
   


6. Which focal adhesion constituent shows a dramatic change in subcellular distrubution after mechanical stimulation?
   


7. The vinculin protein serves as a stable component/marker of what subcellular structure, independent of mechanical load?
   


8. True or false? Zyxin is required for cytoskeletal reinforcement after mechanical stimulation, but is not required for reorientation of the actin cytoskeleton.


9. What is the general function of Rho-GTPase?
   
   


10. What is the function of proteins in the Ena/VASP family?