title: Effects of mechanical force on cytoskeleton structure and calpain-induced apoptosis in rat dorsal root ganglion neurons in vitro.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  A sudden mechanical insult to the spinal cord is usually caused by changing pressure on the surface of the spinal cord. Most of these insults are mechanical force injuries, and their mechanism of injury to the spinal cord is largely unknown.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a compression-driven instrument to simulate mechanical force, we applied mechanical pressure of 0.5 MPa to rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons for 10 min to investigate cytoskeletal alterations and calpain-induced apoptosis after the mechanical force injury.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results indicated that mechanical forces affect the structure of the cytoskeleton and cell viability, induce early apoptosis, and affect the cell cycle of DRG neurons. In addition, the calpain inhibitor PD150606 reduced cytoskeletal degradation and the rate of apoptosis after mechanical force injury.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Thus, calpain may play an important role in DRG neurons in the regulation of apoptosis and cytoskeletal alterations induced by mechanical force. Moreover, cytoskeletal alterations may be substantially involved in the mechanotransduction process in DRG neurons after mechanical injury and may be induced by activated calpain. To our knowledge, this is the first report to demonstrate a relationship between cytoskeletal degradation and apoptosis in DRG neurons.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China.
authors.forename: Zhengxu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: Yuqing
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xin
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Quan
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Xueyu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Jinghui
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Zhuojing
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Luo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000502:physiology; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003599:Cytoskeleton / Q000378:metabolism*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005727:Ganglia, Spinal / Q000378:metabolism*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D040542:Mechanotransduction, Cellular / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013314:Stress, Mechanical