title: Heterogeneous response of microvascular endothelial cells to shear stress.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Engineering, Science, and Health Systems, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jaron
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Buerk
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Barbee
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000313:Adrenal Medulla / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D000814:Aniline Compounds; D000818:Animals; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000166:cytology; D001081:Apyrase / Q000494:pharmacology; D002118:Calcium / Q000502:physiology; D020013:Calcium Signaling; D002196:Capillaries / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D002450:Cell Communication / Q000502:physiology; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D019850:Heptanol / Q000494:pharmacology; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D010812:Physical Stimulation; D051381:Rats; D018048:Receptors, Purinergic P2 / Q000502:physiology; D058473:Receptors, Purinergic P2Y2; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D013498:Suramin / Q000494:pharmacology; D014966:Xanthenes
chemical_list: D000814:Aniline Compounds; C546387:P2ry2 protein, rat; D018048:Receptors, Purinergic P2; D058473:Receptors, Purinergic P2Y2; D014966:Xanthenes; C059715:Fluo-3; D013498:Suramin; D019850:Heptanol; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D001081:Apyrase; D002118:Calcium