This book goes in great detail about the anatomy and histology of the process of mechanotransduction and how the basic units of a cell's mechanosensor apparatus are mechanosensitive channels (MSCs). MSCs open and close upon application of forces and regulate the flux of ions and solutes entering or leaving the cell. This subsequently generates an electrical signal. In eukaryotic cells, tension is transmitted through the cytoskeleton, the extracellular matrix, or external filaments to activate MSCs. Myosin-1c, which is a small, unconventional myosin, is clustered at the end of the tip of each of the hairs, or links. Myosin-1c was also an interest to view in our lab, with understanding how soybeans work. With relevance to microbiology, understanding this transduction process is pivotal to understanding soybean growth and development, and thus a better way to research how Rhizoctonia solani affects soybean disease.
Cell and organ-culture experiments with skeletal muscles have shown that mechanically-induced alterations in protein synthesis occur independently of other cell types and circulating factors. This shows that skeletal muscle has an intrinsic capacity for sensing mechanical information and converting it into biochemical events that regulate protein synthesis. This is the process of mechanotransduction. The interesting idea of this article is that this gives our lab essentially a proper assay to test this transduction pathway in the soybeans and to identify the biochemical basis behind it in soybeans as well as in Rhizoctonoia solani. Although skeletal muscle is not used, as soybean is a legume, it does contain many proteins and this idea can be mimicked in order to try to understand the soybean more in depth. This is one of the many goals of the Lakshman lab – to try and understand the soybean root.
This source discusses the effect of Rhizoctonia solani on turfgrass. The R. solani, when it infects the plant species that are located in the grass, the effects are clearly phenotypically visible. This is important in understanding how R. solani works and is pivotal in understanding the effect of the bacteria on soybeans.
This source talks about the pathobiology of R. solani and how it is also able to attack potato roots. It goes into depth about the disease cycle and the progression, along with the major proteins discussed in each cycle. Knowledge of this information is pivotal to understanding ways to counter the disease that R. solani casues.