Mechanobiology of conjunctival epithelial cells exposed to wall shear stresses

Transmembrane Mucin Response in Conjunctival Epithelial Cells Exposed to Wall Shear Stresses

“…Only for the third repetition with exposure to WSS for a duration of T 30 , an insignificant decrease in F-actin intensity compared to unexposed controls was observed. These results are very consistent with those of the documented observations concerning F-actin polymerization and an increase in stress fibers in epithelial and endothelial cells [ 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ]. It has been suggested that rapid actin remodeling is a primary mechanism of cellular mechano-transduction [ 19 , 24 ], and the exposure of the HCEC to WSS for short exposure periods of 15 and 30 min supports this assumption.…”

“…In previous studies, similar trends of a decrease in the secretion of MUC5AC were reported, although not significant [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 18 ], and were explained by the relatively small amount of goblet cells in the HCEC [ 18 ]. Furthermore, it is known that the membrane-tethered mucins are smaller in molecular weight than their large, polymeric, secreted mucin counterparts, such as MUC5AC.…”

“…It has been suggested that rapid actin remodeling is a primary mechanism of cellular mechano-transduction [ 19 , 24 ], and the exposure of the HCEC to WSS for short exposure periods of 15 and 30 min supports this assumption. Similarly, the exposure of ALI-cultured HCEC to steady and oscillatory WSS revealed increased F-actin polymerization [ 18 ], and the exposure of endothelial cells to steady WSS resulted in alignment in the flow direction due to F-actin reorganization [ 20 ].…”

“…We used in-vitro-cultured primary HCEC, which are the most physiologically relevant model. The protocol for HCEC isolation and culture was similar to that in our previous article [ 18 ], and here we briefly describe the methodology. The primary HCEC were isolated from conjunctival specimens from the upper fornix, over the Muller muscle, that were obtained during the surgical correction of ptosis from patients with healthy conjunctiva.…”

“…The HCEC are continuously subjected to wall shear stresses (WSS) induced by airflow, eyelid movements, as well as wiping and rubbing of the eyes [ 10 ]. Recently, we explored the cytoskeletal alterations and MUC5AC secretion from air–liquid interface (ALI)-cultured primary HCEC after exposure to WSS [ 18 ]. In this study, we cultured primary HCEC immersed in medium and investigated the alterations in MUC1 secretion and cytoskeletal modification due to steady-airflow-induced WSS.…”