Characterization of shear-sensitive genes in the normal rat aorta identifies Hand2 as a major flow-responsive transcription factor.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Shear forces play a key role in the maintenance of vessel wall integrity. Current understanding regarding shear-dependent gene expression is mainly based on in vitro or in vivo observations with experimentally deranged shear, hence reflecting acute molecular events in relation to flow. Our objective was to combine computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations with global microarray analysis to study flow-dependent vessel wall biology in the aortic wall under physiological conditions.

Methods and results

Male Wistar rats were used. Animal-specific wall shear stress (WSS) magnitude and vector direction were estimated using CFD based on aortic geometry and flow information acquired by magnetic resonance imaging. Two distinct flow pattern regions were identified in the

SUBMITTER: Bjorck HM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3527404 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature