/ cadherins Content for UC Davis en /blog/stretchy-protein-senses-forces-cells <p>How does skin hold you in? How do heart cells beat together? Researchers at the University of California, Davis, Department of Biomedical Engineering, are exploring how structures called desmosomes, which stick cells together, function and react to mechanical stress.&nbsp;</p><p>New work from Professor Sanjeevi Sivasankar’s lab, <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-64124-4">published Oct. 10 in Nature Communications</a>, shows how a desmosome protein can respond to mechanical stress and potentially send signals within the cell.&nbsp;</p> October 10, 2025 - 11:20am Andy Fell /blog/stretchy-protein-senses-forces-cells