Mechanical stress and mechanosensitive protein in skin tumors

Abstract

The skin is highly susceptible to external physical stimuli, and mechanical stresses contribute to certain skin tumors. Focusing on keloid, basal cell carcinoma, cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and melanoma, we systematically examined the roles and mechanisms between mechanical stresses, such as tensile stress and matrix stiffness, and mechanosensitive proteins, including Piezo, transient receptor potential (TRP), integrin family, Yes-associated protein (YAP) and transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ), in skin tumor progression. Additionally, we analyze existing research challenges and bottlenecks in this field. This review aims to further deepen the knowledge of skin tumorigenesis from the perspective of mechanical stress, which may help identify diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers and develop novel therapies, ultimately optimizing clinical management of skin tumors.