A thermodynamic model for force integration and microtubule assembly during axonal elongation

Hyperbaric air mobilizes stem cells in humans; a new perspective on the hormetic dose curve

Introduction

Hyperbaric air (HBA) was first used pharmaceutically in 1662 to treat lung disease. Extensive use in Europe and North America followed throughout the 19th century to treat pulmonary and neurological disorders. HBA reached its zenith in the early 20th century when cyanotic, moribund "Spanish flu pandemic" patients turned normal color and regained consciousness within minutes after HBA treatment. Since that time the 78% Nitrogen fraction in HBA has been completely displaced by 100% oxygen to create the modern pharmaceutical hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT), a powerful treatment that is FDA approved for multiple indications. Current belief purports oxygen as the active element mobilizing stem progenitor cells (SPCs) in HBOT, but hyperbaric air, which increases tensions of both oxygen and nitrogen, has been untested until now. In this study we test HBA for SPC mobilization, cytokine and chemokine expression, and complete blood count.

Methods

Ten 34-35-year-old healthy volunteers were exposed to 1.27ATA (4 psig/965 mmHg) room air for 90 min, M-F, for 10 exposures over 2-weeks. Venous blood samples were taken: (1) prior to the first exposure (served as the control for each subject), (2) directly after the first exposure (to measure the acute effect), (3) immediately prior to the ninth exposure (to measure the chronic effect), and (4) 3 days after the completion of tenth/final exposure (to assess durability). SPCs were gated by blinded scientists using Flow Cytometry.

Results

SPCs (CD45dim/CD34+/CD133-) were mobilized by nearly two-fold following 9 exposures (p = 0.02) increasing to three-fold 72-h post completion of the final (10th) exposure (p = 0.008) confirming durability.

Discussion

This research demonstrates that SPCs are mobilized, and cytokines are modulated by hyperbaric air. HBA likely is a therapeutic treatment. Previously published research using HBA placebos should be re-evaluated to reflect a dose treatment finding rather than finding a placebo effect. Our findings of SPC mobilization by HBA support further investigation into hyperbaric air as a pharmaceutical/therapy.

Mathematical models of neuronal growth

The establishment of a functioning neuronal network is a crucial step in neural development. During this process, neurons extend neurites-axons and dendrites-to meet other neurons and interconnect. Therefore, these neurites need to migrate, grow, branch and find the correct path to their target by processing sensory cues from their environment. These processes rely on many coupled biophysical effects including elasticity, viscosity, growth, active forces, chemical signaling, adhesion and cellular transport. Mathematical models offer a direct way to test hypotheses and understand the underlying mechanisms responsible for neuron development. Here, we critically review the main models of neurite growth and morphogenesis from a mathematical viewpoint. We present different models for growth, guidance and morphogenesis, with a particular emphasis on mechanics and mechanisms, and on simple mathematical models that can be partially treated analytically.

Quantitative computational models of molecular self-assembly in systems biology

Molecular self-assembly is the dominant form of chemical reaction in living systems, yet efforts at systems biology modeling are only beginning to appreciate the need for and challenges to accurate quantitative modeling of self-assembly. Self-assembly reactions are essential to nearly every important process in cell and molecular biology and handling them is thus a necessary step in building comprehensive models of complex cellular systems. They present exceptional challenges, however, to standard methods for simulating complex systems. While the general systems biology world is just beginning to deal with these challenges, there is an extensive literature dealing with them for more specialized self-assembly modeling. This review will examine the challenges of self-assembly modeling, nascent efforts to deal with these challenges in the systems modeling community, and some of the solutions offered in prior work on self-assembly specifically. The review concludes with some consideration of the likely role of self-assembly in the future of complex biological system models more generally.

Tensegrity, cellular biophysics, and the mechanics of living systems

The recent convergence between physics and biology has led many physicists to enter the fields of cell and developmental biology. One of the most exciting areas of interest has been the emerging field of mechanobiology that centers on how cells control their mechanical properties, and how physical forces regulate cellular biochemical responses, a process that is known as mechanotransduction. In this article, we review the central role that tensegrity (tensional integrity) architecture, which depends on tensile prestress for its mechanical stability, plays in biology. We describe how tensional prestress is a critical governor of cell mechanics and function, and how use of tensegrity by cells contributes to mechanotransduction. Theoretical tensegrity models are also described that predict both quantitative and qualitative behaviors of living cells, and these theoretical descriptions are placed in context of other physical models of the cell. In addition, we describe how tensegrity is used at multiple size scales in the hierarchy of life—from individual molecules to whole living organisms—to both stabilize three-dimensional form and to channel forces from the macroscale to the nanoscale, thereby facilitating mechanochemical conversion at the molecular level.

High Pulsatility Flow Induces Acute Endothelial Inflammation through Overpolarizing Cells to Activate NF-κB

Large artery stiffening and small artery inflammation are both well-known pathological features of pulmonary and systemic hypertension, but the relationship between them has been seldom explored. We previously demonstrated that stiffening-induced high pulsatility flow stimulated a pro-inflammatory response in distal pulmonary artery endothelial cells (PAEC). Herein, we hypothesized that high pulsatility flow activated PAEC pro-inflammatory responses are mediated through cell structural remodeling and cytoskeletal regulation of NF-κB translocation. To test this hypothesis, cells were exposed to low and high pulsatility flows with the same mean physiological flow shear stress. Results showed that unidirectional, high pulsatility flow led to continuous, high-level NF-κB activation, whereas low pulsatility flow induced only transient, minor NF-κB activation. Compared to cell shape under the static condition, low pulsatility flow induced cell elongation with a polarity index of 1.7, while high pulsatility flow further increased the cell polarity index to a value greater than 3. To explore the roles of cytoskeletal proteins in transducing high flow pulsatility into NF-κB activation, PAECs were treated with drugs that reduce the synthesis-breakdown dynamics of F-actin or microtubules (cytochalasin D, phalloidin, nocodazole, and taxol) prior to flow. Results showed that these pre-treatments suppressed NF-κB activation induced by high pulsatility flow, but drugs changing dynamics of F-actin enhanced NF-κB activation even under low pulsatility flow. Taxol was further circulated in the flow to examine its effect on cells. Results showed that circulating taxol (10nM) reduced PAEC polarity, NF-κB activation, gene expression of pro-inflammatory molecules (ICAM-1 and VCAM-1), and monocyte adhesion on the PAECs under high pulsatility flow. Therefore, taxol effectively reduced high pulsatility flow-induced PAEC overpolarization and pro-inflammatory responses via inhibiting cytoskeletal remodeling. This study suggests that stabilizing microtubule dynamics might bea potential therapeutic means of reducing endothelial inflammation caused by high pulsatility flow.

Stress transmission within the cell

An outstanding problem in cell biology is how cells sense mechanical forces and how those forces affect cellular functions. During past decades, it has become evident that the deformable cytoskeleton (CSK), an intracellular network of various filamentous biopolymers, provides a physical basis for transducing mechanical signals into biochemical responses. To understand how mechanical forces regulate cellular functions, it is necessary to first understand how the CSK develops mechanical stresses in response to applied forces, and how those stresses are propagated through the CSK where various signaling molecules are immobilized. New experimental techniques have been developed to quantify cytoskeletal mechanics, which together with new computational approaches have given rise to new theories and models for describing mechanics of living cells. In this article, we discuss current understanding of cell biomechanics by focusing on the biophysical mechanisms that are responsible for the development and transmission of mechanical stresses in the cell and their effect on cellular functions. We compare and contrast various theories and models of cytoskeletal mechanics, emphasizing common mechanisms that those theories are built upon, while not ignoring irreconcilable differences. We highlight most recent advances in the understanding of mechanotransduction in the cytoplasm of living cells and the central role of the cytoskeletal prestress in propagating mechanical forces along the cytoskeletal filaments to activate cytoplasmic enzymes. It is anticipated that advances in cell mechanics will help developing novel therapeutics to treat pulmonary diseases like asthma, pulmonary fibrosis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Transient shear stresses on a suspension cell in turbulence

A model flow field representative of Kolmogorov eddies in turbulence is proposed, and its two parameters are expressed in terms of the known bioreactor variables epsilon, the rate of turbulent power dissipation, and nu, the fluid kinematic viscosity. The trajectory through this flow field of a small sphere representing a cell is determined, and from that the time-varying local shear rate can be found. This allows calculation of the shear stress at any point on the sphere's surface as it rotates in and moves through the model eddy. The maximum shear stress imposed on the cell by the surrounding turbulence has a range of 0.5-5 dyn/cm(2), and can be estimated by 5.33rho(epsilonnu)(1/2). The shear stress has two major frequency components with ranges of 1-4 and 20-80 s(-1); the higher frequency component is estimated by 0.678(epsilon/nu)(1/2). The rotation of the direction of the shear stress vector at each point on the cell's surface is also discussed. Two ways in which external stresses might affect cell growth are proposed.

Anterograde microtubule transport drives microtubule bending in LLC-PK1 epithelial cells

Microtubules (MTs) have been proposed to act mechanically as compressive struts that resist both actomyosin contractile forces and their own polymerization forces to mechanically stabilize cell shape. To identify the origin of MT bending, we directly observed MT bending and F-actin transport dynamics in the periphery of LLC-PK1 epithelial cells. We found that F-actin is nearly stationary in these cells even as MTs are deformed, demonstrating that MT bending is not driven by actomyosin contractility. Furthermore, the inhibition of myosin II activity through the use of blebbistatin results in microtubules that are still dynamically bending. In addition, as determined by fluorescent speckle microscopy, MT polymerization rarely results, if ever, in bending. We suppressed dynamic instability using nocodazole, and we observed no qualitative change in the MT bending dynamics. Bending most often results from anterograde transport of proximal portions of the MT toward a nearly stationary distal tip. Interestingly, we found that in an in vitro kinesin-MT gliding assay, MTs buckle in a similar manner. To make quantitative comparisons, we measured curvature distributions of observed MTs and found that the in vivo and in vitro curvature distributions agree quantitatively. In addition, the measured MT curvature distribution is not Gaussian, as expected for a thermally driven semiflexible polymer, indicating that thermal forces play a minor role in MT bending. We conclude that many of the known mechanisms of MT deformation, such as polymerization and acto-myosin contractility, play an inconsequential role in mediating MT bending in LLC-PK1 cells and that MT-based molecular motors likely generate most of the strain energy stored in the MT lattice. The results argue against models in which MTs play a major mechanical role in LLC-PK1 cells and instead favor a model in which mechanical forces control the spatial distribution of the MT array.

Cellular mechanotransduction: putting all the pieces together again

Analysis of cellular mechanotransduction, the mechanism by which cells convert mechanical signals into biochemical responses, has focused on identification of critical mechanosensitive molecules and cellular components. Stretch-activated ion channels, caveolae, integrins, cadherins, growth factor receptors, myosin motors, cytoskeletal filaments, nuclei, extracellular matrix, and numerous other structures and signaling molecules have all been shown to contribute to the mechanotransduction response. However, little is known about how these different molecules function within the structural context of living cells, tissues, and organs to produce the orchestrated cellular behaviors required for mechanosensation, embryogenesis, and physiological control. Recent work from a wide range of fields reveals that organ, tissue, and cell anatomy are as important for mechanotransduction as individual mechanosensitive proteins and that our bodies use structural hierarchies (systems within systems) composed of interconnected networks that span from the macroscale to the nanoscale in order to focus stresses on specific mechanotransducer molecules. The presence of isometric tension (prestress) at all levels of these multiscale networks ensures that various molecular scale mechanochemical transduction mechanisms proceed simultaneously and produce a concerted response. Future research in this area will therefore require analysis, understanding, and modeling of tensionally integrated (tensegrity) systems of mechanochemical control.

Tensegrity II. How structural networks influence cellular information processing networks

The major challenge in biology today is biocomplexity: the need to explain how cell and tissue behaviors emerge from collective interactions within complex molecular networks. Part I of this two-part article, described a mechanical model of cell structure based on tensegrity architecture that explains how the mechanical behavior of the cell emerges from physical interactions among the different molecular filament systems that form the cytoskeleton. Recent work shows that the cytoskeleton also orients much of the cell's metabolic and signal transduction machinery and that mechanical distortion of cells and the cytoskeleton through cell surface integrin receptors can profoundly affect cell behavior. In particular, gradual variations in this single physical control parameter (cell shape distortion) can switch cells between distinct gene programs (e.g. growth, differentiation and apoptosis), and this process can be viewed as a biological phase transition. Part II of this article covers how combined use of tensegrity and solid-state mechanochemistry by cells may mediate mechanotransduction and facilitate integration of chemical and physical signals that are responsible for control of cell behavior. In addition, it examines how cell structural networks affect gene and protein signaling networks to produce characteristic phenotypes and cell fate transitions during tissue development.

Tensegrity I. Cell structure and hierarchical systems biology

In 1993, a Commentary in this journal described how a simple mechanical model of cell structure based on tensegrity architecture can help to explain how cell shape, movement and cytoskeletal mechanics are controlled, as well as how cells sense and respond to mechanical forces (J. Cell Sci. 104, 613-627). The cellular tensegrity model can now be revisited and placed in context of new advances in our understanding of cell structure, biological networks and mechanoregulation that have been made over the past decade. Recent work provides strong evidence to support the use of tensegrity by cells, and mathematical formulations of the model predict many aspects of cell behavior. In addition, development of the tensegrity theory and its translation into mathematical terms are beginning to allow us to define the relationship between mechanics and biochemistry at the molecular level and to attack the larger problem of biological complexity. Part I of this two-part article covers the evidence for cellular tensegrity at the molecular level and describes how this building system may provide a structural basis for the hierarchical organization of living systems--from molecule to organism. Part II, which focuses on how these structural networks influence information processing networks, appears in the next issue.

External mechanical strain regulates membrane targeting of Rho GTPases by controlling microtubule assembly

Transmission of externally applied mechanical forces to the interior of a cell requires coordination of biochemical signaling pathways with changes in cytoskeletal assembly and organization. In this study, we addressed one potential mechanism for this signal integration by applying uniform single external mechanical strains to aortic smooth muscle cells (SMCs) via their adhesion substrate. A tensile strain applied to the substrate for 15 min significantly increased microtubule (MT) assembly by 32 +/- 7%, with no apparent effect on the cells' focal adhesions as revealed by immunofluorescence and quantitative analysis of Triton X-100-insoluble vinculin levels. A compressive strain decreased MT mass by 24 +/- 9% but did not influence the level of vinculin in focal adhesions. To understand the decoupling of these two cell responses to mechanical strain, we examined a redistribution of the small GTPases RhoA and Rac. Tensile strain was found to decrease the amount of membrane-associated RhoA and Rac by 70 +/- 9% and 45 +/- 11%, respectively, compared with static controls. In contrast, compressive strain increased membrane-associated RhoA and Rac levels by 74 +/- 17% and 36 +/- 13%, respectively. Disruption of the MT network by prolonged treatments with low doses of either nocodazole or paclitaxel before the application of strain abolished the redistribution of RhoA and Rac in response to the applied forces. Combined, these results indicate that the effects of externally applied mechanical strain on the distribution and activation of the Rho family GTPases require changes in the state of MT polymerization.

Microtubule disassembly increases endothelial cell barrier dysfunction: role of MLC phosphorylation

Endothelial cell (EC) barrier regulation is critically dependent on cytoskeletal components (microfilaments and microtubules). Because several edemagenic agents induce actomyosin-driven EC contraction tightly linked to myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation and microfilament reorganization, we examined the role of microtubule components in bovine EC barrier regulation. Nocodazole or vinblastine, inhibitors of microtubule polymerization, significantly decreased transendothelial electrical resistance in a dose-dependent manner, whereas pretreatment with the microtubule stabilizer paclitaxel significantly attenuated this effect. Decreases in transendothelial electrical resistance induced by microtubule disruption correlated with increases in lung permeability in isolated ferret lung preparations as well as with increases in EC stress fiber content and MLC phosphorylation. The increases in MLC phosphorylation were attributed to decreases in myosin-specific phosphatase activity without significant increases in MLC kinase activity and were attenuated by paclitaxel or by several strategies (C3 exotoxin, toxin B, Rho kinase inhibition) to inhibit Rho GTPase. Together, these results suggest that microtubule disruption initiates specific signaling pathways that cross talk with microfilament networks, resulting in Rho-mediated EC contractility and barrier dysfunction.

Control of microtubule assembly by extracellular matrix and externally applied strain

A number of studies have suggested that externally applied mechanical forces and alterations in the intrinsic cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) force balance equivalently induce changes in cell phenotype. However, this possibility has never been directly tested. To test this hypothesis, we directly investigated the response of the microtubule (MT) cytoskeleton in smooth muscle cells to both mechanical signals and alterations in the ECM. A tensile force that resulted in a positive 10% step change in substrate strain increased MT mass by 34 +/- 10% over static controls, independent of the cell adhesion ligand and tyrosine phosphorylation. Conversely, a compressive force that resulted in a negative 10% step change in substrate strain decreased MT mass by 40 +/- 6% over static controls. In parallel, increasing the density of the ECM ligand fibronectin from 50 to 1,000 ng/cm(2) in the absence of any applied force increased the amount of polymeric tubulin in the cell from 59 +/- 11% to 81 +/- 13% of the total cellular tubulin. These data are consistent with a model in which MT assembly is, in part, controlled by forces imposed on these structures, and they suggest a novel control point for MT assembly by altering the intrinsic cell-ECM force balance and applying external mechanical forces.

The strain magnitude and contact guidance determine orientation response of fibroblasts to cyclic substrate strains

When grown in a substrate subjected to cyclic stretching, most types of cells change orientations. This cell orientation response (COR) has been shown to be driven by axial substrate strain (the strain beneath and along a cell's long axis). However, it remains unclear whether COR depends on the strain direction (tension vs compression). Furthermore, in vitro COR is paradoxical, since in vivo fibroblasts align along collagen fibers and hence the stretch direction. We hypothesized that COR does not depend on the surface strain direction, and that contact guidance provided by microgrooves can maintain cell alignment in the presence of cyclic stretching. Human skin fibroblasts were cultured on compliant smooth and microgrooved surfaces in silicone dishes. Cyclic uniaxial tensile and compressive strains (4%, 8% and 12%) were applied on the dishes at 1 Hz for 24 h. Cell orientation distributions were determined and compared using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Significant differences were found between each of cell orientation distributions with the applied strains and that without strains (p < 0.05). Nevertheless, no significant differences were found between two cell orientation distributions for each pair of opposite strains applied (for 4%, p = 0.33; for 8%, p = 0.18; and for 12%, p = 0.32). Moreover, fibroblasts grown in microgrooves aligned in the groove direction and remained so after 8% cyclic stretch. Thus, this study showed that COR is the cells' avoidance to substrate deformation (i.e., strain-direction independent). It also suggested that the failure of fibroblasts to change orientations in vivo may result from the contact guidance provided by collagen fibers.

Microtubule dynamics in serum-starved and serum-stimulated Swiss 3T3 mouse fibroblasts: implications for the relationship between serum-induced contractility and microtubules

It has been established that cell contractility can be stimulated with low or depolymerizing doses of microtubule (MT) poisons. In addition, low doses of nocodazole and vinblastine have recently been shown to decrease MT dynamics in vivo. In this study, investigated whether there is a direct, or reciprocal feedback-type relationship between contractility and microtubule dynamics, by examining MT dynamic behavior in live cells under conditions where contractility is known to be altered. Quiescent, serum-starved Swiss 3T3 mouse fibroblasts have been shown to be weakened in their contractility; serum stimulation increases cell contractility and causes the formation of stress fibers and adhesion plaques. Growing (control), quiescent (Go), and serum-stimulated cells were injected with rhodamine-tubulin, and MT dynamics were determined by analysis of MT length changes obtained from digitized images of the extreme periphery of the cells, where the MT ends were readily apparent. The MTs in quiescent cells were less dynamic than those in control cells: the growth and shortening rates were reduced by 30% and 45%, respectively. Dynamicity decreased by 47%, and the MTs spent more time in pause. After serum stimulation, MT growth rate, dynamicity, and time spent in pause returned to control cell levels. Although the shortening rate increased by 28%, it remained significantly lower than in control cells. In this system, the serum-induced increase in contractility was accompanied by an increase in MT dynamics. However, increased contractility stimulated with low doses of MT poisons is known to be accompanied by a decrease in MT dynamics. These results suggest that the relationship between MT dynamics and contractility is an indirect one.

How cells (might) sense microgravity

This article is a summary of a lecture presented at an ESA/NASA Workshop on Cell and Molecular Biology Research in Space that convened in Leuven, Belgium, in June 1998. Recent studies are reviewed which suggest that cells may sense mechanical stresses, including those due to gravity, through changes in the balance of forces that are transmitted across transmembrane adhesion receptors that link the cytoskeleton to the extracellular matrix and to other cells (e.g., integrins, cadherins, selectins). The mechanism by which these mechanical signals are transduced and converted into a biochemical response appears to be based, in part, on the finding that living cells use a tension-dependent form of architecture, known as tensegrity, to organize and stabilize their cytoskeleton. Because of tensegrity, the cellular response to stress differs depending on the level of pre-stress (pre-existing tension) in the cytoskeleton and it involves all three cytoskeletal filament systems as well as nuclear scaffolds. Recent studies confirm that alterations in the cellular force balance can influence intracellular biochemistry within focal adhesion complexes that form at the site of integrin binding as well as gene expression in the nucleus. These results suggest that gravity sensation may not result from direct activation of any single gravioreceptor molecule. Instead, gravitational forces may be experienced by individual cells in the living organism as a result of stress-dependent changes in cell, tissue, or organ structure that, in turn, alter extracellular matrix mechanics, cell shape, cytoskeletal organization, or internal pre-stress in the cell-tissue matrix.--Ingber, D. How cells (might) sense microgravity.

Direct observations of the mechanical behaviors of the cytoskeleton in living fibroblasts

Cytoskeletal proteins tagged with green fluorescent protein were used to directly visualize the mechanical role of the cytoskeleton in determining cell shape. Rat embryo (REF 52) fibroblasts were deformed using glass needles either uncoated for purely physical manipulations, or coated with laminin to induce attachment to the cell surface. Cells responded to uncoated probes in accordance with a three-layer model in which a highly elastic nucleus is surrounded by cytoplasmic microtubules that behave as a jelly-like viscoelastic fluid. The third, outermost cortical layer is an elastic shell under sustained tension. Adhesive, laminin-coated needles caused focal recruitment of actin filaments to the contacted surface region and increased the cortical layer stiffness. This direct visualization of actin recruitment confirms a widely postulated model for mechanical connections between extracellular matrix proteins and the actin cytoskeleton. Cells tethered to laminin-treated needles strongly resisted elongation by actively contracting. Whether using uncoated probes to apply simple deformations or laminin-coated probes to induce surface-to-cytoskeleton interaction we observed that experimentally applied forces produced exclusively local responses by both the actin and microtubule cytoskeleton. This local accomodation and dissipation of force is inconsistent with the proposal that cellular tensegrity determines cell shape.

The transduction of very small hydrostatic pressures

This paper reviews experiments in which cells, subjected to hydrostatic pressures of 20 kPa or less, (micro-pressures), demonstrate a perturbation in growth and or metabolism. Similarly, the behavioural responses of aquatic animals (lacking an obvious compressible gas phase) to comparable pressures are reviewed. It may be shown that in both cases the effect of such very low hydrostatic pressures cannot be mediated through the thermodynamic mechanisms which are invoked for the effects of high hydrostatic pressure. The general conclusion is that cells probably respond to micro-pressures through a mechanical process. Differential compression of cellular structures is likely to cause shear and strain, leading to changes in enzyme and/or ion channel activity. If this conclusion is true then it raises a novel question about the involvement of 'micro-mechanical' effects in cells subjected to high hydrostatic pressure. The responses of aquatic animals to micro-pressures may be accounted for, using the model case of the crab, by the mechanical, bulk, compression of hair cells in the statocysts, the organ of balance. If this is true, it raises the interesting question of why the putative cellular mechanisms of micro-pressure transduction appear to have been superseded by the statocyst.

Cell contraction caused by microtubule disruption is accompanied by shape changes and an increased elasticity measured by scanning acoustic microscopy

The state of crosslinking of microfilaments and the state of myosin-driven contraction are the main determinants of the mechanical properties of the cell cortex underneath the membrane, which is significant for the mechanism of shaping cells. Therefore, any change in the contractile state of the actomyosin network would alter the mechanical properties and finally result in shape changes. The relationship of microtubules to the mechanical properties of cells is still obscure. The main problem arises because disruption of microtubules enhances acto-myosin-driven contraction. This reaction and its impact on cell shape and elasticity have been investigated in single XTH-2 cells. Microtubule disruption was induced by colcemid, a polymerization inhibitor. The reaction was biphasic: a change in cell shape from a fried egg shape to a convex surface topography was accompanied by an increase in elastic stiffness of the cytoplasm, measured as longitudinal sound velocity revealed by scanning acoustic microscope. Elasticity increases in the cell periphery and reaches its peak after 30 min. Subsequently while the cytoplasm retracts from the periphery, longitudinal sound velocity (elasticity) decreases. Simultaneously, a two- to threefold increase of F-actin and alignment of stress fibers from the cell center to cell-cell junctions in dense cultures are induced, supposedly a consequence of the increased tension.

Microtubule assembly is regulated by externally applied strain in cultured smooth muscle cells

Mechanical forces clearly regulate the development and phenotype of a variety of tissues and cultured cells. However, it is not clear how mechanical information is transduced intracellularly to alter cellular function. Thermodynamic modeling predicts that mechanical forces influence microtubule assembly, and hence suggest microtubules as one potential cytoskeletal target for mechanical signals. In this study, the assembly of microtubules was analyzed in rat aortic smooth muscle cells cultured on silicon rubber substrates exposed to step increases in applied strain. Cytoskeletal and total cellular protein fractions were extracted from the cells following application of the external strain, and tubulin levels were quantified biochemically via a competitive ELISA and western blotting using bovine brain tubulin as a standard. In the first set of experiments, smooth muscle cells were subjected to a step-increase in strain and the distribution of tubulin between monomeric, polymeric, and total cellular pools was followed with time. Microtubule mass increased rapidly following application of the strain, with a statistically significant increase (P<0.05) in microtubule mass from 373+/-32 pg/cell (t=0) to 514+/-30 pg/cell (t=15 minutes). In parallel, the amount of soluble tubulin decreased approximately fivefold. The microtubule mass decreased after 1 hour to a value of 437+/-24 pg/cell. In the second set of experiments, smooth muscle cells were subjected to increasing doses of externally applied strain using a custom-built strain device. Monomeric, polymeric, and total tubulin fractions were extracted after 15 minutes of applied strain and quantified as for the earlier experiments. Microtubule mass increased with increasing strain while total cellular tubulin levels remained essentially constant at all strain levels. These findings are consistent with a thermodynamic model which predicts that microtubule assembly is promoted as a cell is stretched and compressional loads on the microtubules are presumably relieved. Furthermore, these data suggest microtubules are a potential target for translating changes in externally applied mechanical stimuli to alterations in cellular phenotype.

Tensegrity: the architectural basis of cellular mechanotransduction

Physical forces of gravity, hemodynamic stresses, and movement play a critical role in tissue development. Yet, little is known about how cells convert these mechanical signals into a chemical response. This review attempts to place the potential molecular mediators of mechanotransduction (e.g. stretch-sensitive ion channels, signaling molecules, cytoskeleton, integrins) within the context of the structural complexity of living cells. The model presented relies on recent experimental findings, which suggests that cells use tensegrity architecture for their organization. Tensegrity predicts that cells are hard-wired to respond immediately to mechanical stresses transmitted over cell surface receptors that physically couple the cytoskeleton to extracellular matrix (e.g. integrins) or to other cells (cadherins, selectins, CAMs). Many signal transducing molecules that are activated by cell binding to growth factors and extracellular matrix associate with cytoskeletal scaffolds within focal adhesion complexes. Mechanical signals, therefore, may be integrated with other environmental signals and transduced into a biochemical response through force-dependent changes in scaffold geometry or molecular mechanics. Tensegrity also provides a mechanism to focus mechanical energy on molecular transducers and to orchestrate and tune the cellular response.

Focal adhesions, contractility, and signaling

Focal adhesions are sites of tight adhesion to the underlying extracellular matrix developed by cells in culture. They provided a structural link between the actin cytoskeleton and the extracellular matrix and are regions of signal transduction that relate to growth control. The assembly of focal adhesions is regulated by the GTP-binding protein Rho. Rho stimulates contractility which, in cells that are tightly adherent to the substrate, generates isometric tension. In turn, this leads to the bundling of actin filaments and the aggregation of integrins (extracellular matrix receptors) in the plane of the membrane. The aggregation of integrins activates the focal adhesion kinase and leads to the assembly of a multicomponent signaling complex.

Cytoplasmic mechanisms of axonal and dendritic growth in neurons

The structural mechanisms responsible for the gradual elaboration of the cytoplasmic elongation of neurons are reviewed. In addition to discussing recent work, important older work is included to inform newcomers to the field how the current perspective arose. The highly specialized axon and the less exaggerated dendrite both result from the advance of the motile growth cone. In the area of physiology, studies in the last decade have directly confirmed the classic model of the growth cone pulling forward and the axon elongating from this tension. Particularly in the case of the axon, cytoplasmic elongation is closely linked to the formation of an axial microtubule bundle from behind the advancing growth cone. Substantial progress has been made in understanding the expression of microtubule-associated proteins during neuronal differentiation to stiffen and stabilize axonal microtubules, providing specialized structural support. Studies of membrane organelle transport along the axonal microtubules produced an explosion of knowledge about ATPase molecules serving as motors driving material along microtubule rails. However, most aspects of the cytoplasmic mechanisms responsible for neurogenesis remain poorly understood. There is little agreement on mechanisms for the addition of new plasma membrane or the addition of new cytoskeletal filaments in the growing axon. Also poorly understood are the mechanisms that couple the promiscuous motility of the growth cone to the addition of cytoplasmic elements.

Cell shape, cytoskeletal mechanics, and cell cycle control in angiogenesis

Capillary endothelial cells can be switched between growth and differentiation by altering cell-extracellular matrix interactions and thereby, modulating cell shape. Studies were carried out to determine when cell shape exerts its growth-regulatory influence during cell cycle progression and to explore the role of cytoskeletal structure and mechanics in this control mechanism. When G0-synchronized cells were cultured in basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-containing defined medium on dishes coated with increasing densities of fibronectin or a synthetic integrin ligand (RGD-containing peptide), cell spreading, nuclear extension, and DNA synthesis all increased in parallel. To determine the minimum time cells must be adherent and spread on extracellular matrix (ECM) to gain entry into S phase, cells were removed with trypsin or induced to retract using cytochalasin D at different times after plating. Both approaches revealed that cells must remain extended for approximately 12-15 h and hence, most of G1, in order to enter S phase. After this restriction point was passed, normally 'anchorage-dependent' endothelial cells turned on DNA synthesis even when round and in suspension. The importance of actin-containing microfilaments in shape-dependent growth control was confirmed by culturing cells in the presence of cytochalasin D (25-1000 ng ml-1): dose-dependent inhibition of cell spreading, nuclear extension, and DNA synthesis resulted. In contrast, induction of microtubule disassembly using nocodazole had little effect on cell or nuclear spreading and only partially inhibited DNA synthesis. Interestingly, combination of nocodazole with a suboptimal dose of cytochalasin D (100 ng ml-1) resulted in potent inhibition of both spreading and growth, suggesting that microtubules are redundant structural elements which can provide critical load-bearing functions when microfilaments are partially compromised. Similar synergism between nocodazole and cytochalasin D was observed when cytoskeletal stiffness was measured directly in living cells using magnetic twisting cytometry. These results emphasize the importance of matrix-dependent changes in cell and nuclear shape as well as higher order structural interactions between different cytoskeletal filament systems for control of capillary cell growth during angiogenesis.

Osmotic dilution stimulates axonal outgrowth by making axons more sensitive to tension

Mechanical tension is a potent stimulator of axonal growth rate, which is also stimulated by osmotic dilution. We wished to determine the relationship, if any, between osmotic stimulation and tensile regulation of axonal growth. We used calibrated glass needles to apply constant force to elongate axons of cultured chick sensory neurons. We find that a neurite being pulled at a constant force will grow 50-300% faster following a 50% dilution of inorganic ions in the culture medium. That is, osmotic dilution appears to cause axons to increase their sensitivity to applied tensions. Experimental interventions suggest that this effect is not mediated by dilution of extracellular calcium, or to osmotic stimulation of adenylate cyclase, or to osmotic stimulation of mechanosensitive ion channels. Rather, experiments measuring the static tension normally borne by neurites suggest a direct mechanical effect on the cytoskeletal proteins of the neurite shaft. Our results are consistent with a formal thermodynamic model for axonal growth in which removing a compressive load on axonal microtubules promotes their assembly, thus promoting axonal elongation.

Contraction due to microtubule disruption is associated with increased phosphorylation of myosin regulatory light chain

Microtubules have been proposed to function as rigid struts which oppose cellular contraction. Consistent with this hypothesis, microtubule disruption strengthens the contractile force exerted by many cell types. We have investigated alternative explanation for the mechanical effects of microtubule disruption: that microtubules modulate the mechanochemical activity of myosin by influencing phosphorylation of the myosin regulatory light chain (LC20). We measured the force produced by a population of fibroblasts within a collagen lattice attached to an isometric force transducer. Treatment of cells with nocodazole, an inhibitor of microtubule polymerization, stimulated an isometric contraction that reached its peak level within 30 min and was typically 30-45% of the force increase following maximal stimulation with 30% fetal bovine serum. The contraction following nocodazole treatment was associated with a 2- to 4-fold increase in LC20 phosphorylation. The increases in both force and LC20 phosphorylation, after addition of nocodazole, could be blocked or reversed by stabilizing the microtubules with paclitaxel (former generic name, taxol). Increasing force and LC20 phosphorylation by pretreatment with fetal bovine serum decreased the subsequent additional contraction upon microtubule disruption, a finding that appears inconsistent with a load-shifting mechanism. Our results suggest that phosphorylation of LC20 is a common mechanism for the contractions stimulated both by microtubule poisons and receptor-mediated agonists. The modulation of myosin activity by alterations in microtubule assembly may coordinate the physiological functions of these cytoskeletal components.

Cytoskeletal filament assembly and the control of cell spreading and function by extracellular matrix

This study was undertaken to analyze how cell binding to extracellular matrix produces changes in cell shape. We focused on the initial process of cell spreading that follows cell attachment to matrix and, thus, cell ‘shape’ changes are defined here in terms of alterations in projected cell areas, as determined by computerized image analysis. Cell spreading kinetics and changes in microtubule and actin microfilament mass were simultaneously quantitated in hepatocytes plated on different extracellular matrix substrata. The initial rate of cell spreading was highly dependent on the matrix coating density and decreased from 740 microns 2/h to 50 microns 2/h as the coating density was lowered from 1000 to 1 ng/cm2. At approximately 4 to 6 hours after plating, this initial rapid spreading rate slowed and became independent of the matrix density regardless of whether laminin, fibronectin, type I collagen or type IV collagen was used for cell attachment. Analysis of F-actin mass revealed that cell adhesion to extracellular matrix resulted in a 20-fold increase in polymerized actin within 30 minutes after plating, before any significant change in cell shape was observed. This was followed by a phase of actin microfilament disassembly which correlated with the most rapid phase of cell extension and ended at about 6 hours; F-actin mass remained relatively constant during the slow matrix-independent spreading phase. Microtubule mass increased more slowly in spreading cells, peaking at 4 hours, the time at which the transition between rapid and slow spreading rates was observed. However, inhibition of this early rise in microtubule mass using either nocodazole or cycloheximide did not prevent this transition. Use of cytochalasin D revealed that microfilament integrity was absolutely required for hepatocyte spreading whereas interference with microtubule assembly (using nocodazole or taxol) or protein synthesis (using cycloheximide) only partially suppressed cell extension. In contrast, cell spreading could be completely inhibited by combining suboptimal doses of cytochalasin D and nocodazole, suggesting that intact microtubules can stabilize cell form when the microfilament lattice is partially compromised. The physiological relevance of the cytoskeleton and cell shape in hepatocyte physiology was highlighted by the finding that a short exposure (6 hour) of cells to nocodazole resulted in production of smaller cells 42 hours later that exhibited enhanced production of a liver-specific product (albumin). These data demonstrate that spreading and flattening of the entire cell body is not driven directly by net polymerization of either microfilaments or microtubules.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Cytomechanics of axonal development

Mechanical tension is a robust regulator of axonal development of cultured neurons. We review work from our laboratory, using calibrated glass needles to measure or apply tension to chick sensory neurons, chick forebrain neurons, and rat PC12 cells. We survey direct evidence for two different regimes of tension effects on neurons, a fluid-like growth regime, and a nongrowth, elastic regime. Above a minimum tension threshold, we observe growth effects of tension regulating four phases of axonal development: 1. Initiation of process outgrowth from the cell body; 2. Growth cone-mediated elongation of the axon; 3. Elongation of the axon after synaptogenesis, which normally accommodates the skeletal growth of vertebrates; and 4. Axonal elimination by retraction. Significantly, the quantitative relationship between the force and the growth response is surprisingly similar to the simple relationship characteristic of Newtonian fluid mechanical elements: elongation rate is directly proportional to tension (above the threshold), and this robust linear relationship extends from physiological growth rates to far-above-physiological rates. Thus, tension apparently integrates the complex biochemistry of axonal elongation, including cytoskeletal and membrane dynamics, to produce a simple "force input/growth output" relationship. In addition to this fluid-like growth response, peripheral neurons show elastic behaviors at low tensions (below the threshold tension for growth), as do most cell types. Thus, neurites could exert small static forces without diminution for long periods. In addition, axons of peripheral neurons can actively generate modest tensions, presumably similar to muscle contraction, at tensions near zero. The elastic and force-generating capability of neural axons has recently been proposed to play a major role in the morphogenesis of the brain.

The role of microtubule dynamics in growth cone motility and axonal growth

The growth cone contains dynamic and relatively stable microtubule populations, whose function in motility and axonal growth is uncharacterized. We have used vinblastine at low doses to inhibit microtubule dynamics without appreciable depolymerization to probe the role of these dynamics in growth cone behavior. At doses of vinblastine that interfere only with dynamics, the forward and persistent movement of the growth cone is inhibited and the growth cone wanders without appreciable forward translocation; it quickly resumes forward growth after the vinblastine is washed out. Direct visualization of fluorescently tagged microtubules in these neurons shows that in the absence of dynamic microtubules, the remaining mass of polymer does not invade the peripheral lamella and does not undergo the usual cycle of bundling and splaying and the growth cone stops forward movement. These experiments argue for a role for dynamic microtubules in allowing microtubule rearrangements in the growth cone. These rearrangements seem to be necessary for microtubule bundling, the subsequent coalescence of the cortex around the bundle to form new axon, and forward translocation of the growth cone.

Extracellular matrix controls tubulin monomer levels in hepatocytes by regulating protein turnover

Cells have evolved an autoregulatory mechanism to dampen variations in the concentration of tubulin monomer that is available to polymerize into microtubules (MTs), a process that is known as tubulin autoregulation. However, thermodynamic analysis of MT polymerization predicts that the concentration of free tubulin monomer must vary if MTs are to remain stable under different mechanical loads that result from changes in cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix (ECM). To determine how these seemingly contradictory regulatory mechanisms coexist in cells, we measured changes in the masses of tubulin monomer and polymer that resulted from altering cell-ECM contacts. Primary rat hepatocytes were cultured in chemically defined medium on bacteriological petri dishes that were precoated with different densities of laminin (LM). Increasing the LM density from low to high (1-1000 ng/cm2), promoted cell spreading (average projected cell area increased from 1200 to 6000 microns2) and resulted in formation of a greatly extended MT network. Nevertheless, the steady-state mass of tubulin polymer was similar at 48 h, regardless of cell shape or ECM density. In contrast, round hepatocytes on low LM contained a threefold higher mass of tubulin monomer when compared with spread cells on high LM. Furthermore, similar results were obtained whether LM, fibronectin, or type I collagen were used for cell attachment. Tubulin autoregulation appeared to function normally in these cells because tubulin mRNA levels and protein synthetic rates were greatly depressed in round cells that contained the highest level of free tubulin monomer. However, the rate of tubulin protein degradation slowed, causing the tubulin half-life to increase from approximately 24 to 55 h as the LM density was lowered from high to low and cell rounding was promoted. These results indicate that the set-point for the tubulin monomer mass in hepatocytes can be regulated by altering the density of ECM contacts and changing cell shape. This finding is consistent with a mechanism of MT regulation in which the ECM stabilizes MTs by both accepting transfer of mechanical loads and altering tubulin degradation in cells that continue to autoregulate tubulin synthesis.

Neuritic growth rate described by modeling microtubule dynamics

A model is developed to describe neuronal elongation as a result of the polymerization of microtubules and elastic stretching of the neurites by force produced by the growth cone. The model for a single segment with a single growth cone revealed a constant elongation rate, while the concentration of tubulin in the soma rises, and the concentration of tubulin becomes constant in the growth cone. Extending the model to a neurite with a single branch point and two growth cones revealed the same results. When the assembly or the disassembly rate of microtubules is unequal in both growth cones, transient retraction of one of the terminal segments occurs, which results in complete retraction of the segment when the difference in (dis)assembly rate between the two growth cones is large enough. When the model is applied to large trees, a maximal sustainable number of terminal segments as a function of the production rate of tubulin appears. Mechanisms to stop outgrowth are discussed in relation to the establishment of synaptical contacts between cells.

Effect of protein kinase inhibitor H-7 on the contractility, integrity, and membrane anchorage of the microfilament system

Addition of protein kinase inhibitor H-7 leads to major changes in cell structure and dynamics. In previous studies [Citi, 1992: J. Cell Biol. 117:169-178] it was demonstrated that intercellular junctions in H-7-treated epithelial cells become calcium independent. To elucidate the mechanism responsible for this effect we have examined the morphology, dynamics, and cytoskeletal organization of various cultured cells following H-7-treatment. We show here that drug treated cells display an enhanced protrusive activity. Focal contact-attached stress fibers and the associated myosin, vinculin, and talin deteriorated in such cells while actin, vinculin, and N-cadherin associated with cell-cell junctions were retained. Furthermore, we demonstrate that even before these cytoskeletal changes become apparent, H-7 suppresses cellular contractility. Thus, short pretreatment with H-7 leads to strong inhibition of the ATP-induced contraction of saponin permeabilized cells. Comparison of H-7 effects with those of other kinase inhibitors revealed that H-7-induced changes in cell shape, protrusional activity, and actin cytoskeleton structure are very similar to those induced by selective inhibitor of myosin light chain kinase, KT5926. Specific inhibitors of protein kinase C (Ro31-8220 and GF109203X), on the other hand, did not induce similar alterations. These results suggest that the primary effect of H-7 on cell morphology, motility, and junctional interactions may be attributed to the inhibition of actomyosin contraction. This effect may have multiple effects on cell behavior, including general reduction in cellular contractility, destruction of stress fibers, and an increase in lamellipodial activity. It is proposed that this reduction in tension also leads to the apparent stability of cell-cell junctions in low-calcium medium.

Possible involvement of microtubules in platelet-activating factor-induced increases in microvascular permeability in vitro

The blood vessels of the rat small intestine were perfused in vitro with a gelatin-containing physiological salt solution (GPSS). The addition of platelet-activating factor (PAF, 5 microM), podophyllotoxin (50 microM), colcemid (50 microM), or nocodazole (50 microM) to the GPSS for 5 min caused an increase in vascular permeability. This was manifested as an increased trapping of circulating colloidal carbon (CC) within the walls and was assessed using semiautomated image analysis. Pretreatment for 10 min with taxol (5 microM) in the perfusate significantly reduced the permeability-enhancing effects of all four agonists. Since podophyllotoxin, colcemid, and nocodazole are all microtubule-disrupting agents, and since taxol is a microtubule-stabilizing agent, these results suggest that microtubules are involved in the response of the microvessels to PAF. An explanation based on "tensegrity" or "force-counterbalance" is put forward to account for these findings.

Mechanotransduction across the cell surface and through the cytoskeleton

Mechanical stresses were applied directly to cell surface receptors with a magnetic twisting device. The extracellular matrix receptor, integrin beta 1, induced focal adhesion formation and supported a force-dependent stiffening response, whereas nonadhesion receptors did not. The cytoskeletal stiffness (ratio of stress to strain) increased in direct proportion to the applied stress and required intact microtubules and intermediate filaments as well as microfilaments. Tensegrity models that incorporate mechanically interdependent struts and strings that reorient globally in response to a localized stress mimicked this response. These results suggest that integrins act as mechanoreceptors and transmit mechanical signals to the cytoskeleton. Mechanotransduction, in turn, may be mediated simultaneously at multiple locations inside the cell through force-induced rearrangements within a tensionally integrated cytoskeleton.

An absolute rate theory model for tension control of axonal elongation

This paper extends our previous thermodynamic model for the effect of mechanical force on the microtubule assembly that accompanies axonal (neurite) elongation of neurons. Based on the previous treatment, experimental data, and the formalism of absolute rate theory, we derive an exact expression for how tension on the neurite affects mechanical force in the microtubule, and in turn, how these affect the rate of microtubule assembly and neurite outgrowth in cultured neurons. This prediction approximates the experimentally observed linear relationship between growth rate and experimentally applied tension, and predicts the previously postulated three-position integral control.

Growth cone motility

The exact nature of growth cone motility is far from understood but progress has been made in several areas. It now appears that growth cones pull and not push; we will review the biophysical basis of growth cone movement. Current ideas on the regulation of growth cone motility and the relationship between motility and axon pathfinding are also discussed.

A role for microtubule bundles in the morphogenesis of chicken erythrocytes

The acquisition of cellular asymmetry is one of the post-mitotic events in development. The cells of the avian erythropoietic lineage acquire a simple invariant asymmetry as they mature. Erythrocytes develop in suspension from spherical through discoid to lentil-shaped (lentiform) cells, with a single rigorously specified microtubule bundle, the marginal band. We show here that developing erythrocytes can express highly asymmetric morphologies, including elongated cell bodies and long processes in response to two stimuli: mechanical manipulation (repeated washing) and exposure to cytochalasin D. These experiments suggest that erythrocytes pass through a developmental stage during which microtubules are able to exert elongating forces on the cell. That stage is one in which these cells normally change shape, from spherical to discoid. The results suggest that microtubules may both guide and drive the formation of the marginal band and the characteristic morphology of these cells.

Growth cone behavior and production of traction force

The growth cone must push its substrate rearward via some traction force in order to propel itself forward. To determine which growth cone behaviors produce traction force, we observed chick sensory growth cones under conditions in which force production was accommodated by movement of obstacles in the environment, namely, neurites of other sensory neurons or glass fibers. The movements of these obstacles occurred via three, different, stereotyped growth cone behaviors: (a) filopodial contractions, (b) smooth rearward movement on the dorsal surface of the growth cone, and (c) interactions with ruffling lamellipodia. More than 70% of the obstacle movements were caused by filopodial contractions in which the obstacle attached at the extreme distal end of a filopodium and moved only as the filopodium changed its extension. Filopodial contractions were characterized by frequent changes of obstacle velocity and direction. Contraction of a single filopodium is estimated to exert 50-90 microdyn of force, which can account for the pull exerted by chick sensory growth cones. Importantly, all five cases of growth cones growing over the top of obstacle neurites (i.e., geometry that mimics the usual growth cone/substrate interaction), were of the filopodial contraction type. Some 25% of obstacle movements occurred by a smooth backward movement along the top surface of growth cones. Both the appearance and rate of movements were similar to that reported for retrograde flow of cortical actin near the dorsal growth cone surface. Although these retrograde flow movements also exerted enough force to account for growth cone pulling, we did not observe such movements on ventral growth cone surfaces. Occasionally obstacles were moved by interaction with ruffling lamellipodia. However, we obtained no evidence for attachment of the obstacles to ruffling lamellipodia or for directed obstacle movements by this mechanism. These data suggest that chick sensory growth cones move forward by contractile activity of filopodia, i.e., isometric contraction on a rigid substrate. Our data argue against retrograde flow of actin producing traction force.