The signal arriving in the nucleus as a result of a mechanical stimulus caused specific gene products to be produced and altered the cell's actions. The signal can tell the cell to divide to make more tendon cells or to make more proteins, such as collagen. Cells must be able to coordinate this type of response with neighboring cells if a wound is going to heal properly. If all of the cells began dividing in response to the signal, the tendon could become too large or not function properly. Therefore, these tendon cells must coordinate their responses by communicating with one another.
Cells communicate by sending messengers to other cells in the form of small molecules.
These molecular messengers travel through small gates in the cell membrane called gap junctions. This research was designed to test whether it is necessary that tendon cells be interconnected and able to signal through gap junctions in order to respond to mechanical load signals and to increase cell division and induce healing.