Myosin-independent stiffness sensing by fibroblasts is regulated by the viscoelasticity of flowing actin

TRPV4 Dominates High Shear-Induced Initial Traction Response and Long-Term Relaxation Over Piezo1

Modulation of endothelial traction is critical for the responses of endothelial cells to fluid shear stress (FSS), which has profound implications for vascular health and atherosclerosis. Previously, we demonstrated that under high FSS, endothelial cells rapidly increase traction forces, followed by relaxation, with traction aligning in the flow direction. In contrast, low shear preconditioning induces a modest short-term increase in traction (<30 min), followed by a secondary long-term (>14 hr) rise, with traction/cells aligning perpendicular to the flow. The upstream mechanosensors driving these responses, however, remain unknown. Here, we sought the roles of Piezo1 and TRPV4 ion channels in shear-induced traction modulation. We report that HUVECs with Piezo1 silencing reduced the initial traction rise in half under high FSS compared to those by WT cells, while not affecting the traction modulation in response to low FSS or traction/cell alignment to the flow direction. Conversely, cells with siTRPV4 fully abrogated the initial traction rise, as well as alignment of traction and cells, in response to both high and low FSS conditions. Dual inhibition of Piezo1 and TRPV4 further impaired both initial and long-term traction under high FSS. Interestingly, dual-inhibited cells displayed larger initial traction responses to low FSS compared to control cells, suggesting the involvement of alternative calcium-independent pathways that become dominant when both ion channels are nonfunctional. Additionally, either ion channel inhibition led to secondary long-term traction increase even under high FSS condition. These findings suggest that while both Piezo1 and TRPV4 channels contribute to shear mechanotransduction, TRPV4 plays more dominant role than Piezo1 in mediating the initial traction rise and sustaining long-term relaxation under high or low shear stress, highlighting their critical and distinct contributions to endothelial mechanotransduction and remodeling.

Transient low shear-stress preconditioning influences long-term endothelial traction and alignment under high shear flow

Endothelial cells (ECs) within the vascular system encounter fluid shear stress (FSS). High, laminar FSS promotes vasodilation and anti-inflammatory responses, whereas low or disturbed FSS induces dysfunction and inflammation. However, the adaptation of endothelial cells (ECs) to dynamically changing FSS patterns remains underexplored. Here, by combining traction force microscopy with a custom flow chamber, we examined human umbilical vein endothelial cells adapting their traction during transitions from short-term low shear to long-term high shear stress. We discovered that the initial low FSS elevates the traction by only half of the amount in response to direct high FSS even after flow changes to high FSS. However, in the long term under high FSS, the flow started with low FSS triggers a substantial second rise in traction for over 10 h. In contrast, the flow started directly with high FSS results in a quick traction surge followed by a huge reduction below the baseline traction in <30 min. Importantly, we find that the orientation of traction vectors is steered by initial shear exposure. Using Granger causality analysis, we show that the traction that aligns in the flow direction under direct high FSS functionally causes cell alignment toward the flow direction. However, EC traction that orients perpendicular to the flow that starts with temporary low FSS functionally causes cell orientation perpendicular to the flow. Taken together, our findings elucidate the significant influence of initial short-term low FSS on lasting changes in endothelial traction that induces EC alignment.NEW & NOTEWORTHY In our study, we uncover that preconditioning with low shear stress yields enduring impacts on endothelial cell traction and orientation, persisting even after transitioning to high-shear conditions. Using Granger causality analysis, we demonstrate a functional link between the direction of cell traction and subsequent cellular alignment across varying shear environments.