title: Mechanically induced orientation of adult rat cardiac myocytes in vitro.
abstract: A population of freshly isolated adult rat cardiac myocytes is spatially oriented using a computerized mechanical cell stimulator device for tissue cultured cells. A continuous unidirectional stretch of the substratum at 60 to 400 micron/min for 120 to 30 min, respectively, during the cell attachment period in serum-free medium induces a significant three-fold increase in the number of rod-shaped myocytes oriented parallel to the direction of movement. The myocytes orient less well with unidirectional substratum stretching after their adhesion to the substratum. In contrast, adult myocytes plated onto a substratum undergoing continuous 10% stretch-relaxation cycling show no significant change in myocyte orientation or cytoskeletal organization. Orientation of rod-shaped myocytes is dependent on several factors other than the type of mechanical activity. These include: a) the speed of substratum movement; b) the final stretch amplitude; and c) the timing between initiation of substratum stretching and adhesion of myocytes to the substratum. Oriented adult rod shaped myocytes representing 65 to 70% of the total myocyte population in this model system can now be submitted to different patterns of repetitive mechanical stimulation for the study of stretch-induced alterations in cell growth and gene expression.
authors.affiliation: U 127 INSERM, Hopital Lariboisiere, Paris, France.
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Samuel
authors.forename: H H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Vandenburgh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002455:Cell Division; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000502:physiology; D007797:Laminin; D009206:Myocardium / Q000166:cytology*; D010641:Phenotype; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012826:Silicone Elastomers; D012828:Silicones; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D007797:Laminin; D012826:Silicone Elastomers; D012828:Silicones