Shear Stress Induces Concentration Gradient Distributions of Membrane Proteins in Live Cells.

ABSTRACT: Cells sense and respond to fluid shear stress. Cell surfaces are exposed to flow, yet the influence of shear stress on the behavior of plasma membrane proteins remains unclear. Here we show that extracellular flow induces the gradient distribution of cell membrane proteins with increasing concentration toward the downstream direction of the flow. Shear stress at 10-30 dynes/cm² caused formation of concentration gradients of both GPI-anchored proteins and transmembrane proteins, including integrinß1, E-cadherin and the insulin receptor in Xenopus XTC cells. Using single-molecule live-cell imaging, we found that GPI-anchored T-cadherin molecules are dragged along the direction of flow under shear stress. In addition, shear stress induced concentration gradients of membrane

SUBMITTER: Yamashiro S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12407921 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature