The Role of Mechanical Stress on Calcium Signals

Muscle cells contain protein structures on the plasma membranes called caveoale which act like springs that flatten and recoil when the cell is stretched.In my project, I tested the idea that stretching cells reduces Ca2+ signals in muscle cells. Specifically, when smooth muscle cells (A10) undergo mechanical bi-directional stretch, there is a structural change of caveolae that leads to reduction in Ca2+ signaling when Gaq is activated.The Ca2+ response in A10 cells was also recorded in the form of cell density.When the cells had a large amount of cell-cell contacts, the number of caveolae was much greater and the effect on Ca2+ was more pronounced.Taken together, these results indicate that the deformation of caveolae with mechanical stress may allow cells to regulate normal Ca2+ signals