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Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Simultaneous Electrical and Mechanical Stimulation to Enhance Cells' Cardiomyogenic Potential
Published on: January 18, 2019
Stimulus interval, rate and direction differentially regulate phosphorylation for mechanotransduction in neonatal
Samuel E Senyo1, Yevgeniya E Koshman, Brenda Russell
1Department of Bioengineering, University of Illinois at Chicago, 835 S. Wolcott Avenue, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.
Abstract:
The effect of interval, direction and rate of strain on mechanotransduction in neonatal rat cardiomyocytes is determined for focal adhesion kinase (Y397pFAK), extracellular signal-regulated kinase ERK1/2 (Thr(183)/Tyr(185)) and paxillin (pY31) and phosphorylation time courses to 10% strain assessed. Cells are non-responsive at 5 min but recover at 15 min (P<0.03) with FAK nuclear translocation by 30 min. Cyclic biaxial strain increased phosphorylation from slower to faster rates (P<0.05). Uniaxial strain to groove-aligned myocytes increased FAK and ERK1/2 phosphorylation transversely more than longitudinally (P<0.05). Mechanotransduction may have a refractory period of 5 min and differentiate directions and rates of strain.
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