Elongation of confluent endothelial cells in culture: the importance of fields of force in the associated alterations of their cytoskeletal structure.

Studies using either animal models or in vitro flow systems have shown that the shape of large-vessel endothelial cells (ECs) was sensitive to the amplitude of the flow imposed on them. In order to better understand the morphological changes experienced by ECs when exposed to physical forces such as shear stress, the mechanical integrity of confluent bovine aortic ECs (BAECs) was anisotropically perturbed using the five following types of experiments: (i) slicing and partial scraping of BAEC monolayers; (ii) culture of BAECs on narrow strips of adhesive plastic; (iii) incubation of confluent BAECs with media containing low Ca2+ concentrations; (iv) culture of ECs on top of rectangular collagen gels; and (v) exposure of BAECs to laminar steady shear stress. In all five experimental systems, BAECs exhibited an elongated morphology and aligned their major axes in specific directions. In addition, a preferential alignment of actin microfilaments, vimentin intermediate filaments, and streaks of vinculin with the major axes of the cells often occurred concomitantly with BAEC elongation. In all five systems, the elongation of ECs was analyzed in terms of a mechanical deformation borne by the cytoskeleton, and possibly caused by anisotropic distribution of the forces experienced by the cell structure. In addition, the strain-stress and stiffness-stress relationships characterizing the elongation of BAECs exposed to steady flow were qualitatively similar to those computed for the uniaxial deformation of a spherical geodesic. Our findings suggest that the cytoskeleton of ECs plays an important role in the transduction of those forces which cause an elongation of ECs.