  We provide a prototypical description of mechanically-induced collective
conformational change (folding), relevant in a variety of biological contexts
from muscle contraction to hair cell gating and integrin binding. Our study is
inspired by the seminal Huxley-Simmons (HS) model which we reinterpret from the
perspective of stochastic dynamics involving rigidly coupled bi-stable
elements. In this interpretation the HS model can be mapped to a paramagnetic
Ising model, however, the equivalence is not complete due to the presence of
elastic elements responsible for negative susceptibility and quasi-critical
behavior. We go beyond the conventional chemo-mechanical description of such
systems, revealing both its strengths and its limitations.
