Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 8, 2025

Electrophysiological Recordings of Single-cell Ion Currents Under Well-defined Shear Stress
Published on: August 2, 2019
Shear stress-stimulated AMPK couples endothelial cell mechanics, metabolism and vasodilation
Nicholas M Cronin1, Logan W Dawson1, Kris A DeMali1
1Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine at the University of Iowa, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 51 Newton Rd, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA.
Abstract:
Endothelial cells respond to mechanical force by stimulating cellular signaling, but how these pathways are linked to elevations in cell metabolism and whether metabolism supports the mechanical response remains poorly understood. Here, we show that the application of force to endothelial cells stimulates VE-cadherin to activate liver kinase B1 (LKB1; also known as STK11) and AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a master regulator of energy homeostasis. VE-cadherin-stimulated AMPK increases eNOS (also known as NOS3) activity and localization to the plasma membrane, reinforcement of the actin cytoskeleton and cadherin adhesion complex, and glucose uptake. We present evidence for the increase in metabolism being necessary to fortify the adhesion complex, actin cytoskeleton and cellular alignment. Together, these data extend the paradigm for how mechanotransduction and metabolism are linked to include a connection to vasodilation, thereby providing new insight into how diseases involving contractile, metabolic and vasodilatory disturbances arise.
More Related Videos
09:10Human Saphenous Vein Endothelial Cell Isolation and Exposure to Controlled Levels of Shear Stress and Stretch
Published on: April 21, 2023
09:20The 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
Related Concept Videos
cAMP-dependent Protein Kinase Pathways
PI3K/mTOR/AKT Signaling Pathway
Interactions Between Signaling Pathways
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...
MAPK Signaling Cascades
Regulation of Angiogenesis and Blood Supply
Amplifying Signals via Enzymatic Cascade