Perturbing Endothelial Biomechanics via Connexin 43 Structural Disruption

Abstract

Endothelial cells have been established to generate intercellular stresses and tractions, but the role gap junctions play in endothelial intercellular stress and traction generation is currently unknown. Therefore, we present here a mechanics-based protocol to probe the influence of gap junction connexin 43 (Cx43) has on endothelial biomechanics by exposing confluent endothelial monolayers to a known Cx43 inhibitor 2,5-dihydroxychalcone (chalcone) and measuring the impact this inhibitor has on tractions and intercellular stresses. We present representative results, which show a decrease in both tractions and intercellular stresses under a high chalcone dosage (2 μg/mL) when compared to control. This protocol can be applied to not just Cx43, but also other gap junctions as well, assuming the appropriate inhibitor is used. We believe this protocol will be useful in the fields of cardiovascular and mechanobiology research.

Pericyte mechanics and mechanobiology

“…3B). Connexin 43 (also known as GJA1), which forms mechanosensitive hemichannels in ECs and astrocytes (Chen et al, 2018;Cherian et al, 2005;Islam and Steward, 2019), is also present in pericytes (Hirschi et al, 2003;Kolinko et al, 2018;Ivanova et al, 2019), but its role in force sensing has not been investigated. Pericyte-EC adherens junctions are composed of transmembrane N-cadherins that directly link the actin cytoskeleton in the two cell types (Fig.…”

Effects and Mechanism of Plasma-Activated Medium on Angiogenesis of Vascular Endothelial Cells

“…Islam M.M. et al [31,32] found that CX43 is crucial for endothelial cell proliferation, migration and monocyte-endothelial cell adhesion. However, as the generation of LTP is often affected by environmental conditions, the temperature, humidity and gas flow rate (the remaining gas amount in the cylinder affects the stability of gas flow rate) will affect the effects of PAM.…”