Journal
CELL MOTILITY AND THE CYTOSKELETON
Volume 64, Issue 4, Pages 248-257Publisher
WILEY-LISS
DOI: 10.1002/cm.20178
Keywords
alpha-SMA; fibroblasts; myofibroblasts; cell traction; cell traction force microscopy
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Funding
- NEI NIH HHS [EY08098, EY03263] Funding Source: Medline
- NIAMS NIH HHS [AR049921] Funding Source: Medline
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Using an established corneal stromal cell differentiation model, we manipulated alpha-smooth muscle actin (alpha-SMA) protein expression levels in fibroblasts by treating them with TGF-beta 1, bFGF, TGF-beta type I receptor inhibitor (SB-431542), and siRNA against alpha-SMA. The corresponding cell traction forces (CTFs) were determined by cell traction force microscopy. With all these treatments, we found that alpha-SMA is not required for CTF induction, but its expression upregulates CTF. This upregulation involves the modification of stress fibers but does not appear to relate to non-muscle myosin II expression or beta-actin expression. Moreover, there exists a linear relationship between alpha-SMA protein expression level and CTF magnitude. Finally, CTFs were found to vary among a population of myofibroblasts, suggesting that alpha-SMA protein expression levels of individual cells also vary.
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