Cytosolic Ca2+ Elevation in Endothelia Cells Stimulated by a Vibrating Needle: Imaging by Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy

Abstract

Ca2+ is a secondary messenger that controls a wide range of processes. In vascular endothelial cells, cytosolic Ca2+ is known to be affected by shear stress. Therefore, imaging Ca2+ activity at cellular and subcellular levels in endothelial cells helps to study effect that shear stress has on cellular functions. In this work, we used a real-time confocal laser scanning microscope to record Ca2+ activity of an endothelial cell monolayer subjected to acoustic waves produced by a needle, with additional tests conducted to confirm the involvement of mechanosensitive ion channels. The result showed that needle stimulation induced observable changes in intracellular Ca2+ concentration in local cells through activation of mechanosensitive channels by shear waves.