Alterations in aortic endothelial cell morphology and cytoskeletal protein synthesis during cyclic tensional deformation.

Previous studies have shown that bovine aortic endothelial cells (ECs) in culture respond to repetitive tensional deformation with an increase in deoxyribonucleic acid synthesis and cell proliferation. This study was designed to determine whether cyclic tensional deformation of ECs in vitro induces different morphologic or protein synthetic responses. ECs from passages 6 through 9 were seeded in 35 mm2 well silicone rubber plates at 2 x 10(5) cells/well and allowed to attach for 24 hours. The experimental group was placed in a vacuum-operated stress-providing device that exerted an elongation of 24% at maximum downward deflection of the culture plate bottom and was subjected to repetitive cycles of 10 seconds of 24% maximum elongation and 10 seconds of relaxation for 5 days. The control group was subjected to similar incubation conditions but without stretch. 35S-methionine (500 muCi/well) was added to the plates 24 hours before harvesting, and two-dimensional gels of the harvested lysates (isoelectric focusing with pH 3 to 10 ampholytes followed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis on 12.5% gels) were performed and the labeled proteins visualized by autoradiography. The data indicate that there is a differential synthesis of proteins, with synthesis of some proteins decreased or ablated whereas other proteins were increased in response to cyclic mechanical tension. The actin filament organization was evaluated after staining with rhodamine phalloidin, a fluorescent F-actin probe. The ECs subjected to tension had a more polygonal shape and demonstrated pseudopods and actin stress fibers, whereas ECs cultured under static conditions were more rounded and did not express actin stress cables.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)