Directional shear flow and Rho activation prevent the endothelial cell apoptosis induced by micropatterned anisotropic geometry.

ABSTRACT: To study the roles of anisotropic cell morphology and directionality of mechanical force in apoptosis, the spreading of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) was constrained by growing on micropatterned (MP) strips of fibronectin (FN, 20 microg/cm2) with widths of 15, 30, and 60 microm on silicone membrane. Cells on 30- and 60-microm strips, like cells on a nonpatterned (NP) surface coated with FN, showed clear actin stress fibers with anchoring spots of phosphorylated focal adhesion kinase (p-FAK) and no significant apoptosis. On 15-microm strips, cells had few stress fibers, no p-FAK, and significant apoptosis. After seeding for 12 h, the cells were subjected to pulsatile shear stress (12+/-4 dyn/cm2) parallel or perpendicular to MP strips, or kept under static condition. Paral

SUBMITTER: Wu CC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1783086 | biostudies-literature | 2007 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature