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Mechanobiology of Disease
Poster Abstracts
89
53-POS
Board 53
High Hydrostatic Pressure Induces Signal Transduction of the MAPK Pathway
Masatoshi Morimatsu
, Ayano Fujita, Ken Takahashi, Keiji Naruse.
Okayama University, Okayama, Okayama, Japan.
Cells sense physical signals and translate them into biological responses via
mechanotransduction. In our bodies, pressure also stimulates bone and tooth development in the
range of several dozen MPa. However, fundamental aspects of how these cells detect pressure on
a molecular level remain poorly understood, in part due to a lack of methods that can
quantitatively apply hydrostatic pressure to cells and quantify signal transduction. Here we tested
the effect of hydrostatic pressure on activation of the mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK)
pathway. We applied various hydrostatic pressures (0.1 ~ 40 MPa) to fibroblast cells and
observed the localization of phosphorylated extracellular signal regulated kinase (phospho-
ERK), which leads to cell growth and differentiation. At a pressure level higher than atmospheric
(~ 40 MPa), phospho-ERK proteins displayed enhanced localization to the nucleus. Furthermore
higher hydrostatic pressure induced the phospholylation of ERK proteins via the MAPK
pathway. Our preliminary data suggests higher hydrostatic pressure increases the probability of
phospho-ERK translocation to the nucleus. Ongoing work uses the unique capabilities of
mechanical hydrostatic pressure control
in vitro
to clarify mechanotransduction mechanisms and
induce cell growth.