The effects of cyclic tensile strain on cytoskeleton in intervertebral disc cell: a preliminary study in vitro [Abstract]
Li, S., Jia, X., Duance, Victor Colin and Blain, Emma Jane 2009. The effects of cyclic tensile strain on cytoskeleton in intervertebral disc cell: a preliminary study in vitro [Abstract]. International Journal of Experimental Pathology 90 (2) , A120. 10.1111/j.1365-2613.2008.00644.x
Official URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1365-...
Introduction Mechanical stimulation is implicated in the degeneration of intervertebral disc (IVD), but the mechanotransduction pathways are largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the role of the cytoskeleton in mechanotransduction pathways. Materials and Methods Cyclic tensile strain (CTS, 10% elongation, 1 Hz) was applied to bovine nucleus pulposus (NP) and outer annulus fibrosus (OAF) cells cultured as monolayer on type I collagen using the Flexcell FX-3000 for 10, 30 and 60 mins respectively. Organisation and gene expression of the cytoskeletal elements were investigated using confocal microscopy and quantitative PCR. For protein expression, cells were subjected to 60 min of strain followed by recovery periods of 0, 3, 8 and 24 h, then the protein levels of cytoskeletal elements were determined using Western Blotting. Results CTS altered the architecture of F-actin filaments in both NP and OAF cells, promoting stress fibre formation. CTS did not significantly change b-tubulin and vimentin organisation except the direction of filament distribution. CTS promoted b-actin gene and protein expression in NP and OAF cells after 60 min of strain, especially in OAF cells. For btubulin, CTS only increased its gene and protein expression in OAF cells but not in NP cells. CTS transiently inhibited vimentin in OAF cells after 60 min of strain, but no change was observed in NP cells. Discussion Alterations to the organisation and expression of the cytoskeleton may change the ability of the cells to respond to mechanical signals with a loss of tissue homeostasis, suggesting that the cytoskeleton has a potential role in IVD degeneration.
British Society for Matrix Biology Meeting, Autumn 2008
http://orca.cf.ac.uk/id/eprint/8847