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Heterogeneous response of microvascular endothelial cells to shear stress
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Heterogeneous response of microvascular endothelial cells to shear stress

D Hong, D Jaron, D G Buerk and K A Barbee
American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology, v 290(6), pp H2498-2508
Jun 2006
PMID: 16415079

Abstract

Immunohistochemistry Physical Stimulation Aniline Compounds Rats Stress, Mechanical Cell Communication - physiology Receptors, Purinergic P2 - physiology Receptors, Purinergic P2Y2 Adrenal Medulla - cytology Capillaries - physiology Xanthenes Aorta, Thoracic - cytology Animals Calcium - physiology Adrenal Medulla - physiology Image Processing, Computer-Assisted Apyrase - pharmacology Capillaries - cytology Adenosine Triphosphate - metabolism Calcium Signaling Endothelial Cells - physiology Suramin - pharmacology Heptanol - pharmacology
We investigated changes in calcium concentration in cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs) and rat adrenomedulary endothelial cells (RAMECs, microvascular) in response to different levels of shear stress. In BAECs, the onset of shear stress elicited a transient increase in intracellular calcium concentration that was spatially uniform, synchronous, and dose dependent. In contrast, the response of RAMECs was heterogeneous in time and space. Shear stress induced calcium waves that originated from one or several cells and propagated to neighboring cells. The number and size of the responding groups of cells did not depend on the magnitude of shear stress or the magnitude of the calcium change in the responding cells. The initiation and the propagation of calcium waves in RAMECs were significantly suppressed under conditions in which either purinergic receptors were blocked by suramin or extracellular ATP was degraded by apyrase. Exogenously applied ATP produced similarly heterogeneous responses. The number of responding cells was dependent on ATP concentration, but the magnitude of the calcium change was not. Our data suggest that shear stress stimulates RAMECs to release ATP, causing the increase in intracellular calcium concentration via purinergic receptors in cells that are heterogeneously sensitive to ATP. The propagation of the calcium signal is also mediated by ATP, and the spatial pattern suggests a locally elevated ATP concentration in the vicinity of the initially responding cells.

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Collaboration types
Domestic collaboration
Web of Science research areas
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Peripheral Vascular Disease
Physiology
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