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Cell-matrix's Response to Mechanical Forces

Cell-matrix's Response to Mechanical Forces

In animal cells, the extracellular matrix allows cells within tissues to withstand external stresses and transmits signals from the outside of the cell to the inside. The extracellular matrix is extensive, and its composition varies between different types of tissues. For example, the reticular fibers and ground substance make up the ECM in loose connective tissue, while collagen and bone minerals make up the ECM of bone tissue.
Anchoring junctions mechanically attach a cell to the...

Tension Response at Adherens Junctions

Tension Response at Adherens Junctions

The adherens junctions that anchor cells together are multi-protein complexes that dynamically adapt to mechanical stimuli such as tensile forces and shear stress. Mechanosensory proteins in these junctions can sense such mechanical stimuli and undergo a shift in their conformation, resulting in an altered function — a process called mechanotransduction.
α-Catenin as a Mechanosensory Protein
The α-catenin of adherens junctions is an allosteric protein with three VH (vinculin homology) domains...

Overview of Cell-Matrix Interactions

Overview of Cell-Matrix Interactions

The extracellular matrix or ECM holds cells together to form a tissue and allows the cells within the tissue to communicate. ECM comprises proteins such as fibronectin, collagen, laminin, etc. The most abundant protein in this space is collagen. Collagen fibers are interwoven with carbohydrate-containing protein molecules called proteoglycans. ECM allows cell migration and provides a structural scaffold at cell adhesion that anchors the cell when the extracellular matrix proteins interact with...

Adherens Junctions

Adherens Junctions

Strong contact points between adjacent cells anchor them to each other, forming tissues. Such anchoring junctions are of two types – adherens junctions and desmosomes. Adherens junctions are abundant in tissues such as epithelium and endothelium, forming a continuous zone of adhesion called the adhesion belt. In other tissues, such as heart muscle, they appear as clusters, linking the cells to produce coordinated heart muscle contraction.
Adherens Junctions are Dynamic
The endothelial cells...

Intracellular Signaling Affects Focal Adhesions

Intracellular Signaling Affects Focal Adhesions

Integrins act both as extracellular input receivers and as intracellular processing activators. As their name suggests, integrins are entirely integrated into the membrane structure. Their hydrophobic membrane-spanning regions interact with the phospholipid bilayer's hydrophobic region. These membrane receptors provide extracellular attachment sites for effectors like hormones and growth factors. They activate intracellular response cascades when their effectors are bound and active.
Some...

Anchoring Junctions

Anchoring Junctions

Anchoring junctions are multiprotein complexes that help cells connect to other cells and the extracellular matrix. Anchoring junctions are present on the lateral and basal surfaces of cells, providing strong and flexible connections. Focal adhesions are often formed due to cell interactions with the ECM substrata, which initiate signal transduction via kinase cascades and other mechanisms. Together, they provide stability and tissue integrity. There are three types of anchoring junctions:...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 12, 2026

The Assembly and Application of 'Shear Rings': A Novel Endothelial Model for Orbital, Unidirectional and Periodic Fluid Flow and Shear Stress

The Assembly and Application of 'Shear Rings': A Novel Endothelial Model for Orbital, Unidirectional and Periodic Fluid Flow and Shear Stress

Published on: October 31, 2016

Shear-induced endothelial cell-cell junction inclination.

Benoît Melchior¹, John A Frangos

¹La Jolla Bioengineering Institute, La Jolla, California, USA.

American Journal of Physiology. Cell Physiology

|June 18, 2010

Summary

Endothelial cells sense blood flow direction through dynamic changes in their intercellular junctions. This cellular response, crucial for adapting to flow, involves junctional inclination and rapid calcium signaling.

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Gene Expression Analysis of Endothelial Cells Exposed to Shear Stress Using Multiple Parallel-plate Flow Chambers

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Last Updated: Jun 12, 2026

The Assembly and Application of 'Shear Rings': A Novel Endothelial Model for Orbital, Unidirectional and Periodic Fluid Flow and Shear Stress

The Assembly and Application of 'Shear Rings': A Novel Endothelial Model for Orbital, Unidirectional and Periodic Fluid Flow and Shear Stress

Published on: October 31, 2016

Electrophysiological Recordings of Single-cell Ion Currents Under Well-defined Shear Stress

Electrophysiological Recordings of Single-cell Ion Currents Under Well-defined Shear Stress

Published on: August 2, 2019

Gene Expression Analysis of Endothelial Cells Exposed to Shear Stress Using Multiple Parallel-plate Flow Chambers

Gene Expression Analysis of Endothelial Cells Exposed to Shear Stress Using Multiple Parallel-plate Flow Chambers

Published on: October 21, 2018

Area of Science:

Cardiovascular Biology
Cellular Mechanotransduction
Endothelial Cell Biology

Background:

Atherosclerosis-prone arterial regions experience complex wall shear stress patterns, including retrograde flow.
Retrograde blood flow is known to be atherogenic and proinflammatory.
The endothelial mechanisms for sensing flow direction remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of interendothelial cell junction inclination in sensing blood flow direction.
To determine the molecular and structural basis for endothelial sensitivity to flow direction.

Main Methods:

Immunostaining of mouse aorta to assess junctional inclination in vivo.
Live cell confocal microscopy of human endothelial cell monolayers to dynamically monitor junctional angles under shear stress.
Assessment of intracellular calcium responses to orthograde and retrograde flow.

Main Results:

Endothelial cell junctions in mouse aorta showed a 13-degree inclination in the direction of unidirectional flow.
In human endothelial cells, shear stress induced junctional inclination within minutes (final angle 10 degrees).
Retrograde flow reversed junctional inclination and triggered significantly higher intracellular calcium responses within seconds.

Conclusions:

Endothelial intercellular junction inclination is dynamically responsive to blood flow direction.
This dynamic inclination confers the ability for endothelial cells to rapidly sense and adapt to flow direction.
Junctional inclination is independent of the cytoskeleton or glycocalyx and is linked to rapid calcium signaling.