Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Cell Polarization by Rho Proteins

Cell Polarization by Rho Proteins

Cell polarity is the asymmetric distribution of cellular and membrane components, making one side of the cell different from the other. This polarity is essential to many processes such as embryogenesis, axon migration, glucose transport across epithelial cells, and directional cell migration. A migrating cell responds to intracellular or extracellular signals via molecular cascades that reorganize the actin cytoskeleton to establish this polarity. In these cells, the Rho family proteins Cdc42,...

Calmodulin-dependent Signaling

Calmodulin-dependent Signaling

Calmodulin (CaM) is a calcium-binding protein in eukaryotes that controls various calcium-regulated cellular processes. It has four calcium-binding sites that bind calcium to form the calcium-calmodulin ( Ca2+-CaM) complex. GPCR stimulation increases the calcium levels in the cells that bind to CaM and induces a conformational change.
The Ca2+-CaM complex does not have enzymatic activity by itself. Instead, the complex binds downstream target proteins, including membrane proteins or enzymes,...

Feedback Regulation of Calcium Concentration

Feedback Regulation of Calcium Concentration

Calcium is an essential signaling molecule required for various cellular functions. Calcium pumps and ion channels on cell and organellar membranes, such as those on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), regulate calcium concentrations inside the cell. They remain closed, keeping the cytosolic calcium levels low at a resting state.
Various transmembrane receptors, such as G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), elicit a response to extracellular signals by increasing cytosolic calcium. Activated GPCRs...

Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration

Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration

A migrating cell changes its shape during the cyclic events of attachment and detachment from the substratum and repositions the cell organelles correspondingly. These complex events are orchestrated by the dynamic cytoskeletal network comprising actin filaments, intermediate filaments, and microtubules. Cytoskeletal crosstalk — the direct and indirect communication between the different components — is crucial for this coordination. Direct communication involves various linker proteins that...

Cell Motility through Blebbing

Cell Motility through Blebbing

Blebs are a type of membrane protrusion formed by the internal hydrostatic pressure of the cytoplasm. Blebs are observed in several cell types, including fibroblasts, immune cells, and single-celled organisms like the amoeba. The primary function of blebs is cell locomotion and apoptosis, but they are also found during necrosis and cell division. The life cycle of a bleb comprises an initiation phase followed by the expansion and retraction phases.
Blebbing Through the Matrix
In multicellular...

Mechanism of Lamellipodia Formation

Mechanism of Lamellipodia Formation

Cells migrating in response to external stimuli form lamellipodia, which are thin membrane protrusions supported by a mesh of linked, branched, or unbranched actin filaments. These actin filaments interact with myosin motor proteins, creating the dynamic actomyosin complex within the cytoskeleton. Contractility, or the ability to generate contractile stress, is inherent to the actomyosin complex. It helps cells detect the stiffness of the surrounding ECM and exert contractile force for...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

In vivo roles for myosin phosphatase targeting subunit-1 phosphorylation sites T694 and T852 in bladder smooth muscle contraction.

The Journal of physiology·2014

Same author

High-temperature cultivation of recombinant Pichia pastoris increases endoplasmic reticulum stress and decreases production of human interleukin-10.

Microbial cell factories·2014

Same author

Metabolic engineering of strains: from industrial-scale to lab-scale chemical production.

Journal of industrial microbiology & biotechnology·2014

Same author

Inhibition of histone deacetylase by butyrate protects rat liver from ischemic reperfusion injury.

International journal of molecular sciences·2014

Same author

[Determination of arsenic speciation in Scomberomorus niphonius by capillary electrophoresis-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry].

Guang pu xue yu guang pu fen xi = Guang pu·2014

Same author

Regulation of CRADD-caspase 2 cascade by histone deacetylase 1 in gastric cancer.

American journal of translational research·2014

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 29, 2026

Isolation of Human Myoblasts, Assessment of Myogenic Differentiation, and Store-operated Calcium Entry Measurement

Isolation of Human Myoblasts, Assessment of Myogenic Differentiation, and Store-operated Calcium Entry Measurement

Published on: July 26, 2017

Substrate rigidity regulates Ca2+ oscillation via RhoA pathway in stem cells.

Tae-Jin Kim¹, Jihye Seong, Mingxing Ouyang

¹Neuroscience Program, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, USA.

Journal of Cellular Physiology

|October 11, 2008

Summary

Substrate rigidity impacts cell functions. Lowering stiffness reduced calcium oscillations in human mesenchymal stem cells (HMSCs) by affecting RhoA and ROCK signaling pathways.

More Related Videos

Micropatterned Magneto-Rheological Elastomers to Drive Changes in Cardiomyocyte Alignment

Micropatterned Magneto-Rheological Elastomers to Drive Changes in Cardiomyocyte Alignment

Published on: June 10, 2025

Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Culture on Polyvinyl Alcohol-Co-Itaconic Acid Hydrogels with Varying Stiffness Under Xeno-Free Conditions

Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Culture on Polyvinyl Alcohol-Co-Itaconic Acid Hydrogels with Varying Stiffness Under Xeno-Free Conditions

Published on: February 3, 2018

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 29, 2026

Isolation of Human Myoblasts, Assessment of Myogenic Differentiation, and Store-operated Calcium Entry Measurement

Isolation of Human Myoblasts, Assessment of Myogenic Differentiation, and Store-operated Calcium Entry Measurement

Published on: July 26, 2017

Micropatterned Magneto-Rheological Elastomers to Drive Changes in Cardiomyocyte Alignment

Micropatterned Magneto-Rheological Elastomers to Drive Changes in Cardiomyocyte Alignment

Published on: June 10, 2025

Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Culture on Polyvinyl Alcohol-Co-Itaconic Acid Hydrogels with Varying Stiffness Under Xeno-Free Conditions

Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Culture on Polyvinyl Alcohol-Co-Itaconic Acid Hydrogels with Varying Stiffness Under Xeno-Free Conditions

Published on: February 3, 2018

Area of Science:

Cell Biology
Biophysics
Biochemistry

Background:

Substrate rigidity influences cellular functions like differentiation and force generation.
The impact of substrate stiffness on early cell signaling events, particularly calcium signaling, remains largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the molecular mechanisms by which substrate rigidity affects calcium signaling in human mesenchymal stem cells (HMSCs).
To elucidate the role of specific signaling pathways in mediating rigidity-dependent calcium oscillations.

Main Methods:

Utilized highly sensitive Ca(2+) biosensors based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) to monitor calcium dynamics.
Employed FRET biosensors targeted to subcellular locations (cytoplasm and endoplasmic reticulum) in HMSCs.
Manipulated substrate stiffness and assessed the dependence of calcium oscillations on RhoA, ROCK, and cytoskeletal components.

Main Results:

Spontaneous Ca(2+) oscillations were observed in HMSCs on rigid substrates.
Decreased substrate stiffness (1 kPa) significantly inhibited the magnitude and frequency of cytoplasmic Ca(2+) oscillations.
Calcium oscillations were dependent on RhoA and its effector ROCK, but independent of actin, microtubules, or myosin activity.
Low RhoA activity correlated with reduced Ca(2+) oscillations in HMSCs cultured on soft substrates.

Conclusions:

Substrate rigidity regulates Ca(2+) oscillations in HMSCs.
The RhoA/ROCK pathway is a key mediator of substrate rigidity-dependent calcium signaling.
Understanding this mechanism is crucial for determining the physiological functions of HMSCs.