Disrupted Stiffness Ratio Alters Nuclear Mechanosensing

Authors

Language

English

Publication Date

10-4-2023

Journal

Matter

DOI

10.1016/j.matt.2023.08.010

PMID

37937235

PMCID

PMC10627551

PubMedCentral® Posted Date

10-4-2024

PubMedCentral® Full Text Version

Author MSS

Abstract

The ability of endothelial cells to sense and respond to dynamic changes in blood flow is critical for vascular homeostasis and cardiovascular health. The mechanical and geometric properties of the nuclear and cytoplasmic compartments affect mechanotransduction. We hypothesized that alterations to these parameters have resulting mechanosensory consequences. Using atomic force microscopy and mathematical modeling, we assessed how the nuclear and cytoplasmic compartment stiffnesses modulate shear stress transfer to the nucleus within aging endothelial cells. Our computational studies revealed that the critical parameter controlling shear transfer is not the individual mechanics of these compartments, but the stiffness ratio between them. Replicatively aged cells had a reduced stiffness ratio, attenuating shear transfer, while the ratio was not altered in a genetic model of accelerated aging. We provide a theoretical framework suggesting that dysregulation of the shear stress response can be uniquely imparted by relative mechanical changes in subcellular compartments.

Keywords

Endothelial Cells, Mechanobiology, Shear Stress, Biomechanics, Soft Matter, Biophysics

Published Open-Access

yes

Recommended Citation

, "Disrupted Stiffness Ratio Alters Nuclear Mechanosensing" (2023). Faculty, Staff and Student Publications. 185.
https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/uthdb_docs/185