Stretch in Focus: 2D Inplane Cell Stretch Systems for Studies of Cardiac Mechano-Signaling

Friedrich O, Merten AL, Schneidereit D, Guo Y, Schürmann S, Martinac B (2019)

Publication Type: Journal article, Review article

Publication year: 2019

Journal

Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology Frontiers Media

Book Volume: 7

DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2019.00055

Abstract

Mechanobiology is a rapidly growing interdisciplinary research field, involving biophysics, molecular and cell biology, biomedical engineering, and medicine. Rapid progress has been possible due to emerging devices and tools engineered for studies of the effect of mechanical forces, such as stretch or shear force, impacting on biological cells and tissues. In response to such mechanical stimuli, cells possess various mechanosensors among which mechanosensitive ion channels are molecular transducers designed to convert mechanical stimuli into electrical and/or biochemical intracellular signals on millisecond time scales. To study their role in cellular signaling pathways, devices have been engineered that enable application of different strain protocols to cells allowing for determination of the stress-strain relationship or other, preferably optical, readouts. Frequently, these devices are mounted on fluorescence microscopes, allowing simultaneous investigation of cellular mechanotransduction processes combined with live-cell imaging. Mechanical stress in organs/tissues can be complex and multiaxial, e.g., in hollow organs, like lung alveoli, bladder, or the heart. Therefore, biomedical engineers have, in recent years, developed devices based on elastomeric membranes for application of biaxial or multiaxial stretch to 2D substrate-adhered or even 3D-embedded cells. Here, we review application of stretch technologies to cellular mechanotransduction with a focus on cardiovascular systems. We also present new results obtained by our IsoStretcher device to examine mechanosensitivity of adult ventricular cardiomyocytes. We show that sudden isotropic stretch of cardiomyocytes can already trigger arrhythmic Ca2+ transients on the single cell level.

Authors with CRIS profile

Oliver Friedrich Lehrstuhl für Medizinische Biotechnologie Anna-Lena Merten Lehrstuhl für Medizinische Biotechnologie Dominik Schneidereit Lehrstuhl für Medizinische Biotechnologie Sebastian Schürmann Lehrstuhl für Medizinische Biotechnologie

Related research project(s)

Mechanotransduktion in Endothel- und Herzmuskelzellen bei multidirektionalem Dehnungsstress unter Verwendung einer neuen isotropen `Cell-Stretch`Technologie Oct. 1, 2017 - Sept. 30, 2020 Unravelling Mechanotransduction Pathways in the Heart Jan. 1, 2016 - Dec. 31, 2019 Piezo'ing the heart - novel molecular cardiac mechano-biosensors Jan. 1, 2018 - Dec. 31, 2019

Involved external institutions

Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute AU Australia (AU)

How to cite

APA:

Friedrich, O., Merten, A.-L., Schneidereit, D., Guo, Y., Schürmann, S., & Martinac, B. (2019). Stretch in Focus: 2D Inplane Cell Stretch Systems for Studies of Cardiac Mechano-Signaling. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 7. https://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2019.00055

MLA:

Friedrich, Oliver, et al. "Stretch in Focus: 2D Inplane Cell Stretch Systems for Studies of Cardiac Mechano-Signaling." Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology 7 (2019).

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