Mechanotransduction in Endothelial Cells Studied with Fluorescence Imaging

Mechanotransduction involves the conversion of mechanical stimuli to intracellular signaling to modulate gene and protein expressions and hence cellular functions in endothelial cells, thus playing importance roles in the regulation of homeostasis in health and disease. The aim of this paper is to investigate the dynamics of mechanotransduction in endothelial cells by the use of fluorescent resonance energy transfer (FRET) to study the temporal and spatial activation of Src kinase and focal adhesion kinase, both of which play critical roles in many cellular processes. The results have contributed to the elucidation of the roles of these two important signaling molecules and their interactions in mediating mechanotransduction.