Disrupted Stiffness Ratio Alters Nuclear Mechanosensing.

ABSTRACT: The ability of endothelial cells to sense and respond to dynamic changes in blood flow is critical for vascular homeostasis and cardiovascular health. The mechanical and geometric properties of the nuclear and cytoplasmic compartments affect mechanotransduction. We hypothesized that alterations to these parameters have resulting mechanosensory consequences. Using atomic force microscopy and mathematical modeling, we assessed how the nuclear and cytoplasmic compartment stiffnesses modulate shear stress transfer to the nucleus within aging endothelial cells. Our computational studies revealed that the critical parameter controlling shear transfer is not the individual mechanics of these compartments, but the stiffness ratio between them. Replicatively aged cells had a reduced stiffness ratio

SUBMITTER: Walther BK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10627551 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature