scholarly journals Stress fibers of the aortic smooth muscle cells in tissues do not align with the principal strain direction during intraluminal pressurization

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shukei Sugita ◽  
Naoto Mizuno ◽  
Yoshihiro Ujihara ◽  
Masanori Nakamura
Keyword(s):  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Smooth Muscle Cells ◽  
Cell Activity ◽  
Muscle Cells ◽  
Stress Fibers ◽  
Intraluminal Pressure ◽  
Aortic Tissue ◽  
Normal Strain ◽  
Cell Nuclei ◽  
Strain Direction

AbstractStress fibers (SFs) in cells transmit external forces to cell nuclei, altering the DNA structure, gene expression, and cell activity. To determine whether SFs are involved in mechanosignal transduction upon intraluminal pressure, this study investigated the SF direction in smooth muscle cells (SMCs) in aortic tissue and strain in the SF direction. Aortic tissues were fixed under physiological pressure of 120 mmHg. First, we observed fluorescently labeled SFs using two-photon microscopy. It was revealed that SFs in the same smooth muscle layers were aligned in almost the same direction, and the absolute value of the alignment angle from the circumferential direction was 16.8° ± 5.2° (n = 96, mean ± SD). Second, we quantified the strain field in the aortic tissue in reference to photo-bleached markers. It was found in the radial-circumferential plane that the largest strain direction was − 21.3° ± 11.1°, and the zero normal strain direction was 28.1° ± 10.2°. Thus, the SFs in aortic SMCs were not in line with neither the largest strain direction nor the zero strain direction, although their orientation was relatively close to the zero strain direction. These results suggest that SFs in aortic SMCs undergo stretch, but not maximal and transmit the force to nuclei under intraluminal pressure.

scholarly journals Stretch-induced Calcium Release in Smooth Muscle

2002 ◽  
Vol 119 (6) ◽  
pp. 533-543 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guangju Ji ◽  
Robert J. Barsotti ◽  
Morris E. Feldman ◽  
Michael I. Kotlikoff
Keyword(s):  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Urinary Bladder ◽  
Smooth Muscle Cells ◽  
Calcium Release ◽  
Muscle Cells ◽  
Intraluminal Pressure ◽  
Bladder Smooth Muscle ◽  
Urinary Bladder Smooth Muscle ◽  
Inward Currents ◽  
Longitudinal Stretch

Smooth muscle cells undergo substantial increases in length, passively stretching during increases in intraluminal pressure in vessels and hollow organs. Active contractile responses to counteract increased transmural pressure were first described almost a century ago (Bayliss, 1902) and several mechanisms have been advanced to explain this phenomenon. We report here that elongation of smooth muscle cells results in ryanodine receptor–mediated Ca2+ release in individual myocytes. Mechanical elongation of isolated, single urinary bladder myocytes to ∼120% of slack length (ΔL = 20) evoked Ca2+ release from intracellular stores in the form of single Ca2+ sparks and propagated Ca2+ waves. Ca2+ release was not due to calcium-induced calcium release, as release was observed in Ca2+-free extracellular solution and when free Ca2+ ions in the cytosol were strongly buffered to prevent increases in [Ca2+]i. Stretch-induced calcium release (SICR) was not affected by inhibition of InsP3R-mediated Ca2+ release, but was completely blocked by ryanodine. Release occurred in the absence of previously reported stretch-activated currents; however, SICR evoked calcium-activated chloride currents in the form of transient inward currents, suggesting a regulatory mechanism for the generation of spontaneous currents in smooth muscle. SICR was also observed in individual myocytes during stretch of intact urinary bladder smooth muscle segments. Thus, longitudinal stretch of smooth muscle cells induces Ca2+ release through gating of RYR. SICR may be an important component of the physiological response to increases in luminal pressure in smooth muscle tissues.

Metabolie Effects of Direct Current Stimulation on Cultured Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

1984 ◽  
Vol 39 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 1141-1144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helmut Heinle ◽  
Gerhard Sigg ◽  
Amo Reich ◽  
Klaus-Ulrich Thiedemann
Keyword(s):  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Vascular Smooth Muscle ◽  
Smooth Muscle Cells ◽  
Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells ◽  
Cell Activity ◽  
Lactate Production ◽  
Muscle Cells ◽  
Enhancing Effect ◽  
Mediating Role

Abstract Vascular smooth muscle cells from rabbit arteries were grown in tissue culture and stimulated by DC impulses (1 mA, 1V, 10 Hz, 1 ms/imp). Scanning microscopic examination disclosed that in stimulated cultures the cell surface was enlarged by numerous microvilli. This was interpreted as being indicative of an increase in cell activity. Cellular metabolism was character­ized by analyzing the incubation medium for glucose, glutamate/glutamine, and lactate. When compared to unstimulated controls, stimulation caused an increase in the uptake of glucose and glutamine as well as an increased lactate production. The enhancing effect on metabolism was prevented when the “calcium antagonist” verapamil was present (5 × 10-6ᴍ). Although the exact mechanism by which DC stimulation influences the cells remains obscure, this finding indicates an important mediating role of Ca2+ ions.

scholarly journals CRP1, a LIM Domain Protein Implicated in Muscle Differentiation, Interacts with α-Actinin

1997 ◽  
Vol 139 (1) ◽  
pp. 157-168 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pascal Pomiès ◽  
Heather A. Louis ◽  
Mary C. Beckerle
Keyword(s):  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Smooth Muscle Cells ◽  
Actin Cytoskeleton ◽  
Indirect Immunofluorescence ◽  
Muscle Cells ◽  
Muscle Differentiation ◽  
Full Length ◽  
Stress Fibers ◽  
Lim Domain

Members of the cysteine-rich protein (CRP) family are LIM domain proteins that have been implicated in muscle differentiation. One strategy for defining the mechanism by which CRPs potentiate myogenesis is to characterize the repertoire of CRP binding partners. In order to identify proteins that interact with CRP1, a prominent protein in fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells, we subjected an avian smooth muscle extract to affinity chromatography on a CRP1 column. A 100-kD protein bound to the CRP1 column and could be eluted with a high salt buffer; Western immunoblot analysis confirmed that the 100-kD protein is α-actinin. We have shown that the CRP1–α-actinin interaction is direct, specific, and saturable in both solution and solid-phase binding assays. The Kd for the CRP1–α-actinin interaction is 1.8 ± 0.3 μM. The results of the in vitro protein binding studies are supported by double-label indirect immunofluorescence experiments that demonstrate a colocalization of CRP1 and α-actinin along the actin stress fibers of CEF and smooth muscle cells. Moreover, we have shown that α-actinin coimmunoprecipitates with CRP1 from a detergent extract of smooth muscle cells. By in vitro domain mapping studies, we have determined that CRP1 associates with the 27-kD actin–binding domain of α-actinin. In reciprocal mapping studies, we showed that α-actinin interacts with CRP1-LIM1, a deletion fragment that contains the NH2-terminal 107 amino acids (aa) of CRP1. To determine whether the α-actinin binding domain of CRP1 would localize to the actin cytoskeleton in living cells, expression constructs encoding epitope-tagged full-length CRP1, CRP1-LIM1(aa 1-107), or CRP1-LIM2 (aa 108-192) were microinjected into cells. By indirect immunofluorescence, we have determined that full-length CRP1 and CRP1-LIM1 localize along the actin stress fibers whereas CRP1-LIM2 fails to associate with the cytoskeleton. Collectively these data demonstrate that the NH2-terminal part of CRP1 that contains the α-actinin–binding site is sufficient to localize CRP1 to the actin cytoskeleton. The association of CRP1 with α-actinin may be critical for its role in muscle differentiation.

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