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Regulation of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Stiffness and Adhesion by [Ca2+]i: An Atomic Force Microscopy-Based Study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 December 2018

Yi Zhu*
Affiliation:
Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
Li He
Affiliation:
Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
Jing Qu
Affiliation:
Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
Yong Zhou*
Affiliation:
Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA Department of Ophthalmology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA
*
Author for correspondence: Yi Zhu, E-mail: yzhu1@uab.edu; Yong Zhou, E-mail: yongzhou@uabmc.edu
Author for correspondence: Yi Zhu, E-mail: yzhu1@uab.edu; Yong Zhou, E-mail: yongzhou@uabmc.edu
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Abstract

The intracellular concentration of calcium ion ([Ca2+]i) is a critical regulator of cell signaling and contractility of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). In this study, we employed an atomic force microscopy (AFM) nanoindentation-based approach to investigate the role of [Ca2+]i in regulating the cortical elasticity of rat cremaster VSMCs and the ability of rat VSMCs to adhere to fibronectin (Fn) matrix. Elevation of [Ca2+]i by ionomycin treatment increased rat VSMC stiffness and cell adhesion to Fn-biofunctionalized AFM probes, whereas attenuation of [Ca2+]i by 1,2-Bis (2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N’,N’-tetraacetic acid tetrakis (acetoxymethyl ester) (BAPTA-AM) treatment decreased the mechanical and matrix adhesive properties of VSMCs. Furthermore, we found that ionomycin/BAPTA-AM treatments altered expression of α5 integrin subunits and α smooth muscle actin in rat VSMCs. These data suggest that [Ca2+]i regulates VSMC elasticity and adhesion to the extracellular matrix by a potential mechanism involving changing dynamics of the integrin–actin cytoskeleton axis.

Type
Biological Science Applications
Copyright
© Microscopy Society of America 2018 

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Footnotes

Cite this article: Zhu Y, He L, Qu J and Zhou Y (2018) Regulation of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Stiffness and Adhesion by [Ca2+]i: An Atomic Force Microscopy-Based Study. Microsc Microanal. 24(6), 708–712. doi: 10.1017/S1431927618015519

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