Role of actin filaments in endothelial cell-cell adhesion and membrane stability under fluid shear stress

Schnittler, Hans-Joachim; Schneider, Stefan W.; Raifer, Hartmann; Luo, Fanghong; Dieterich, Peter; Just, Ingo; Aktories, Klaus

doi:10.1007/s004240100589

Cited by 92 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 43 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Besides cell-ECM adhesions, the cytoskeleton may also transduce mechanical signals to cell-cell junctions. Disruption of actin filaments increases the solubility of a-catenin and gap formation and inhibits cell alignment induced by shear stress [Schnittler et al, 2001]. The mechanical coupling of the cytoskeleton with cell-ECM adhesions and cell-cell junctions provides an efficient way to transduce mechanical signals throughout the cells, mechanotransduction plays an important role in coordinating EC migration in response to shear stress.…”

Section: Cytoskeleton As Mechanotransducermentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanotransduction in endothelial cell migration

Li¹,

Huang²,

Hsu³

2005

J of Cellular Biochemistry

239

180

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The migration of endothelial cells (ECs) plays an important role in vascular remodeling and regeneration. EC migration can be regulated by different mechanisms such as chemotaxis, haptotaxis, and mechanotaxis. This review will focus on fluid shear stress-induced mechanotransduction during EC migration. EC migration and mechanotransduction can be modulated by cytoskeleton, cell surface receptors such as integrins and proteoglycans, the chemical and physical properties of extracellular matrix (ECM) and cell-cell adhesions. The shear stress applied on the luminal surface of ECs can be sensed by cell membrane and associated receptor and transmitted throughout the cell to cell-ECM adhesions and cell-cell adhesions. As a result, shear stress induces directional migration of ECs by promoting lamellipodial protrusion and the formation of focal adhesions (FAs) at the front in the flow direction and the disassembly of FAs at the rear. Persistent EC migration in the flow direction can be driven by polarized activation of signaling molecules and the positive feedback loops constituted by Rho GTPases, cytoskeleton, and FAs at the leading edge. Furthermore, shear stressinduced EC migration can overcome the haptotaxis of ECs. Given the hemodynamic environment of the vascular system, mechanotransduction during EC migration has a significant impact on vascular development, angiogenesis, and vascular wound healing.

show abstract

Section: Cytoskeleton As Mechanotransducermentioning

confidence: 99%

Mechanotransduction in endothelial cell migration

Li¹,

Huang²,

Hsu³

2005

J of Cellular Biochemistry

239

180

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…As such, AFM has been used to map the responses of osteoclasts to different substrates, the age-related stiffening of cardiomyocytes, and the effects of actin-disrupting drugs on fibroblast compliance or acute and long-term effects of aldosterone on endothelial cells [33, 81,106,108,109,130,140].…”

Section: Force Spectroscopy Applications-from Single Molecules To Celmentioning

confidence: 99%

Probing cellular microenvironments and tissue remodeling by atomic force microscopy

Ludwig

Kirmse

Poole

et al. 2007

Pflugers Arch - Eur J Physiol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The function of cells is strongly determined by the properties of their extracellular microenvironment. Biophysical parameters like environmental stiffness and fiber orientation in the surrounding matrix are important determinants of cell adhesion and migration. Processes like tissue maintenance, wound repair, cancer cell invasion, and morphogenesis depend critically on the ability of cells to actively sense and remodel their surroundings. Pericellular proteolytic activity and adaptation of migration tactics to the environment are strategies to achieve this aim. Little is known about the distinct regulatory mechanisms that are involved in these processes. The system's critical biophysical and biochemical determinants are well accessible by atomic force microscopy (AFM), a unique tool for functional, nanoscale probing and morphometric, highresolution imaging of processes in live cells. This review highlights common principles of tissue remodeling and focuses on application examples of different AFM techniques, for example elasticity mapping, the combination of AFM and fluorescence microscopy, the morphometric imaging of proteolytic activity, and force spectroscopy applications of single molecules or individual cells. To achieve a more complete understanding of the processes underlying the interaction of cells with their environments, the combination of AFM force spectroscopy experiments will be essential.

show abstract

“…AFM is a nanotechnique that allows exact imaging of the surface of living cells [33,52]. Importantly, AFM is a scanning procedure that relies on a mechanical sensor with defined properties.…”

Section: Aldosteronementioning

confidence: 99%

How steroid hormones act on the endothelium—insights by atomic force microscopy

Hillebrand

Hausberg

Lang

et al. 2008

Pflugers Arch - Eur J Physiol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Vascular actions of steroid hormones have gained increasing importance. Indeed, some steroid hormones favorably influence vascular structure and function, whereas others are detrimental. This review will focus on the endothelial effects of steroid hormones. In the first part, we summarize data from in vivo studies elucidating the regulation of endothelial function by steroid hormones. Accumulating data argue for an improvement of endothelium-derived relaxation and impaired vascular contraction by estradiol, whereas testosterone, progesterone, and aldosterone have contrary effects. In the second part, we present data from novel atomic force microscopy studies performed in living endothelial cells under the influence of steroid hormones. These studies provide insight into structural and functional alterations of endothelial cells characterized by changes in volume, apical surface, and stiffness. We summarize the available evidence that changes in shape of endothelial cells translate into changes of endothelial cell stiffness. Under the influence of estradiol, endothelial cells become spherical with consecutive improvement of elasticity, whereas aldosterone flattens endothelial cell-shape leading to increased stiffness. Both, endothelial cell shape and stiffness are major determinants of endothelial nitric oxide production. These studies emphasize the great potential of atomic force microscopy to investigate the function of living endothelial cells.Keywords Aldosterone . Glucocorticoids . Sex hormones . Atomic force microscopy . Endothelium . Imaging . Nitric oxideResearch over the last two decades has been clearly demonstrating that the vascular endothelium is a target for steroid hormones, e.g., sex hormones, glucocorticoids, and mineralocorticoids [25,35]. Indeed, specific receptors for these steroid hormones have been identified in endothelial cells. Numerous clinical studies demonstrate that the various steroid hormones affect vascular function in different ways. Sex hormonesVascular endothelial cells and vascular smooth muscle cells express receptors for estradiol, progesterone, and testosterone [54,55,66]. The sex hormones bind to specific cytosolic receptors. The resulting complexes are transported into the nucleus and initiate gene transcription (so-called genomic effects). Moreover, sex hormones cause a number of rapid non-genomic effects on vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cells.Several studies report gender differences in vascular function. Vascular contraction was found to be greater in male and ovarectomized female rats than in castrated male and female rats, suggesting an effect of testosterone in favor of vascular contraction and an effect of estradiol in favor of preventing vascular contraction [24]. Specifically, estradiol has been shown to cause endothelium-mediated vasorelaxation, whereas testosterone and progesterone interfere with estradiol-mediated endothelium-dependent vasodilation [25].There is a body of evidence suggesting that sex hormones interfere with the synthesis and b...

show abstract

Role of actin filaments in endothelial cell-cell adhesion and membrane stability under fluid shear stress

Cited by 92 publications

References 43 publications

Mechanotransduction in endothelial cell migration

Mechanotransduction in endothelial cell migration

Probing cellular microenvironments and tissue remodeling by atomic force microscopy

How steroid hormones act on the endothelium—insights by atomic force microscopy

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About