This Review is part of a thematic series on Mechanotransduction and Signaling in Myocardium, which includes the
following articles:
Role of Integrins in Endothelial Mechanosensing of Shear Stress
Dance Band on the Titanic: Biomechanical Signaling in Cardiac Hypertrophy
Spatial Microstimuli in Endothelial Mechanosignaling
Dynamic Regulation of Connexins in Connection With Mechanosignaling
Peter F. Davies, Guest Editor
Role of Integrins in Endothelial Mechanosensing
of Shear Stress
John Y.-J. Shyy, Shu Chien
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Abstract—The focal pattern of atherosclerotic lesions in arterial vessels suggests that local blood flow patterns are
important factors in atherosclerosis. Although disturbed flows in the branches and curved regions are proatherogenic,
laminar flows in the straight parts are atheroprotective. Results from in vitro studies on cultured vascular endothelial
cells with the use of flow channels suggest that integrins and the associated RhoA small GTPase play important roles
in the mechanotransduction mechanism by which shear stress is converted to cascades of molecular signaling to
modulate gene expression. By interacting dynamically with extracellular matrix proteins, the mechanosensitive integrins
activate RhoA and many signaling molecules in the focal adhesions and cytoplasm. Through such mechanotransduction
mechanisms, laminar shear stress upregulates genes involved in antiapoptosis, cell cycle arrest, morphological
remodeling, and NO production, thus contributing to the atheroprotective effects. This review summarizes some of the
recent findings relevant to these mechanotransduction mechanisms. These studies show that integrins play an important
role in mechanosensing in addition to their involvement in cell attachment and migration. (Circ Res. 2002;91:769-775.)
Key Words: shear stress 䡲 mechanotransduction 䡲 endothelium 䡲 integrins 䡲 Rho
L
ocated between the circulating blood and the vessel wall,
vascular endothelial cells (ECs) are the primary cell type
exposed to the shear stress resulting from blood flow. During
the last 2 decades, the mechanotransduction mechanisms by
which ECs convert shear stress stimulation to biochemical
signals have been studied intensively with both in vivo and in
vitro approaches. Experiments with the use of cultured ECs in
flow channels, which allow the control of chemical and
mechanical factors, facilitate the investigation of specific
cellular responses to the applied mechanical forces. Knowledge emerging from interdisciplinary research involving vascular biology and bioengineering has demonstrated that
mechanical sensing of shear stress can occur on both the
abluminal and luminal sides of the EC membrane.
Integrins are membrane-associated glycoproteins composed of ␣ and  subunits. To date, 18 ␣ and 8  subunits
have been identified in mammalian cells. Each subunit has a
large extracellular domain, a transmembrane spanning region,
and a short cytoplasmic domain (see review1). The extracellular domain binds directly to extracellular matrix (ECM)
proteins, such as vitronectin, fibronectin, laminin, and collagen. The cytoplasmic domains of both the ␣ and  subunits
interact with signaling molecules and cytoskeletal proteins to
regulate cellular events, such as signal transduction, cytoskeletal organization, and cell motility via the modulation of
integrin affinity and/or avidity. Affinity modulation involves
changes in integrin heterodimer conformation that lead to an
increased binding effectiveness for their ligands, whereas
Original received July 24, 2002; revision received August 30, 2002; accepted September 10, 2002.
From the Division of Biomedical Sciences (J.Y.-J.S.), University of California–Riverside, Riverside, Calif, and the Department of Bioengineering and
Whitaker Institute of Biomedical Engineering (S.C.), University of California–San Diego, La Jolla, Calif.
Correspondence to John Y.-J. Shyy, PhD, Division of Biomedical Sciences, University of California–Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521-0121. E-mail
[email protected]
© 2002 American Heart Association, Inc.
Circulation Research is available at http://www.circresaha.org
DOI: 10.1161/01.RES.0000038487.19924.18
769
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avidity modulation involves changes in lateral mobility and
clustering of heterodimers to facilitate cell binding to multivalent matrices (see reviews2,3).
Integrin activation is directly associated with members of
the Rho small GTPase family, including RhoA, Cdc42, and
Rac (see reviews2,4). Rho family GTPases are converted from
the inactive GDP-bound form to the active GTP-bound form
in response to stimuli such as serum and lysophosphatidic
acid to effect responses such as cell adhesion, stress fiber
formation, and motility enhancement (see review5). GDP/
GTP cycling is regulated by guanine nucleotide exchange
factors, GTPase-activating proteins, and guanine nucleotide
dissociation inhibitors (see review6). RhoA, Cdc42, and Rac
have distinct functions in regulating the actin-based cytoskeletal structure. RhoA increases cell contractility, focal adhesions, and actin stress fiber formation; Cdc42 regulates
filopodia formation; and Rac regulates membrane ruffling
(see reviews6,7).
The integrin-elicited signaling events are commonly investigated by allowing cells to attach to ECM proteins or treating
cells with monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against integrins.8
The findings, ie, that many of the signaling pathways activated by these stimuli are also activated by shear stress,
suggest that integrins are involved in the mechanotransduction in ECs.9 In the present review, we summarize recent
studies in which flow channels with cultured ECs have been
used to investigate the role of integrins and the associated
RhoA in mechanotransduction, and we discuss the impact and
perspectives of these findings in relation to the roles of fluid
shear stress in vascular biology.
remodeling (eg, -actin and myosin heavy chain), cell cycle
arrest (eg, cyclin D1 and GADD45), EC survival (eg, Tie2
and Flk-1), and antioxidation (eg, heme oxygenase-1 and
cytochrome P-450).16 –18 The results from these highthroughput analyses allow us to generate new hypotheses to
elucidate how blood flow regulates groups of proatherogenic
or antiatherogenic genes in the arterial wall.
It has been shown that shear stress activates many Thr/Ser
and Tyr kinases located in the cell membrane, focal adhesions, and cytoplasm. These kinases include focal adhesion
kinase (FAK), c-Src, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K),
myosin light chain kinase, Akt kinase, IB kinases, and
receptor tyrosine kinase Flk-1.19 –25 Some of these kinase
pathways have also been shown to be modulated by blood
flow in animal models in vivo. The PI3K-Akt and protein
kinase A pathways regulate synergistically the activation of
endothelial NO synthase,13,26 leading to an increase in NO
production. Wortmannin, a PI3K inhibitor, significantly reduces the NO-induced vasodilation in perfused rat mesenteric
arterial beds.27 En face confocal microscopy has shown that
treating LDL receptor knockout mice with lipopolysaccharide
or feeding these animals with an atherogenic diet results in
nuclear factor-B activation and an upregulation of nuclear
factor-B–inducible genes, such as vascular cell adhesion
molecule-1 and E-selectin, in ECs predominantly in
proatherogenic regions.28 Many of the shear stress–activated
kinases, eg, extracellular signal–regulated kinase (ERK) and
FAK, are known to be regulated by integrins. Such a unique
correlation is an important clue for the involvement of
integrins in mechanotransduction.
Responses of ECs to Shear Stress
Shear Stress Activates Integrins
Recent studies have shown that laminar shear stress modulates many genes related to vascular biology, including cell
fate (ie, cell cycle progression and apoptosis). Laminar shear
stress suppresses the G1- to S-phase transition in ECs,10,11 and
this is associated with an increase in the expression of p21, an
inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases (cdks), at mRNA and
protein levels. These changes are accompanied by decreases
in the phosphorylation of retinoblastoma protein (Rb) and the
activities of cdk2 and cdk4.10,11 Physiological levels of
laminar shear stress prevent apoptosis of ECs in response to
a variety of stimuli, including tumor necrosis factor-␣,
oxidized LDL, and angiotensin II.12,13 There is evidence that
the laminar shear stress–induced antiapoptotic effect is mediated by the upregulation of superoxide dismutase and NO
synthase.14 Analysis of EC apoptosis in human carotid
atherosclerotic plaques has shown a preferential occurrence
of apoptosis in the downstream side of the plaques, where
shear stress is low and unsteady, compared with the upstream
parts.15
Most of these studies on the effects of shear flow on gene
expression were performed on a “single-gene” basis. Recently developed microarray technology enables the comprehensive screening of gene expression files. Such analysis has
been used to compare the transcriptional profiles in ECs
exposed to prolonged laminar shear stress or turbulent flow
versus static controls. The results indicate that laminar shear
stress upregulates gene products involved in cytoskeletal
Evidence for shear stress activation of integrins is provided
by both direct assessment of integrin conformational changes
in response to shear stress and blockade of the shear-induced
responses by mAbs or Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) peptide. When
cells are plated on ECM or treated with integrin-activating
mAbs, integrin activation is manifested by modulations of
affinity and avidity (see reviews29,30). The integrin affinity
states can be regulated either by extracellular factors (eg,
divalent cations) or by intracellular signaling that involves the
R-Ras and Rap1 small GTPases (see reviews31,32). The
positive immunostaining of WOW-1 mAb, which reacts
specifically with unoccupied ␣v3 integrin in a high-affinity
state, provides direct evidence of integrin activation.33 Tzima
et al34 have shown an increased immunostaining of WOW-1
in sheared ECs, indicating a modulation of integrin affinity by
shear stress. Using HUTS-21 and LIBS-6 mAbs binding to
the respective ligand-bound form of 1 and 3, Jalali et al35
have demonstrated that shear stress also causes an increase in
integrin avidity in ECs.
Pretreating the confluent EC monolayer with a blockingtype anti-␣v3 mAb blocked shear stress activation of ERK,
c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), and the IB complex.19,24
Using a similar approach with blocking-type mAb to prevent
1 activation, Liu et al36 have demonstrated that shear stress
activates sterol regulatory element– binding proteins
(SREBPs), the key transcription factors regulating the cellular
sterol and lipid homeostasis, in an integrin-dependent man-
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Figure 1. Integrin-mediated mechanotransduction includes multiple kinases (eg, FAK, c-Src, and Fyn), adaptor molecules (eg, CAS and
Shc), guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) (eg, C3G and son of sevenless [Sos]), and small GTPases (eg, Rap1 and Ras) in activating MAPKs (eg, ERK). Under static conditions, the mechanosensitive integrins are in an inactive conformation, and various signaling
molecules are not phosphorylated or assembled as signaling complex. Shear stress activates the integrins by switching them to an
active conformation, with increases in their affinity and avidity for the cognate ECM proteins. Through specific interaction of the ␣ and
 subunits of the activated integrins, the FAK/c-Src and the Cav-1/Fyn pathways are activated to elicit cascades of phosphorylation on
various downstream effectors and their assembly through SH2 and SH3 interactions. The 2 pathways converge at the level of RafMEK-ERK in ECs in response to shear stress. MEK indicates MAPK kinase; PAX, paxillin; and CAS, p130CAS. The red ovals represent
the ECM binding site for integrins.
ner. In complementary experiments, integrin activation due to
cell attachment was shown to be sufficient for SREBP
activation.36 Blocking integrins with RGD peptide abolishes
the shear stress–induced secretion of basic fibroblast growth
factor37 and the antiapoptotic effect of shear stress.38 In
addition to modulating the avidity and affinity of integrins,
shear stress also increases the mRNA and protein levels of the
␣5 and 1 integrins in ECs.38 Compared with static controls,
ECs preexposed to shear stress revealed a significant increase
in their reattachment to ECM, and this increased attachment
was blocked by RGD peptide, anti-␣5 antibody, or anti-1
antibody.38
Integrin-Associated Mechanotransduction
in ECs
Integrins play a major role in the shear stress activation of
signaling events in focal adhesions and the actin-based
cytoskeleton. FAK and Shc are 2 molecules that have been
shown to mediate the activation of downstream mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) by shear stress.
On activation, FAK is autophosphorylated at Tyr397 and
associates with the Src homology 2 (SH2) domain of c-Src.
As a result, c-Src phosphorylates paxillin and p130CAS, which
serve as scaffolds for the recruitment of various adaptors and
signaling intermediates (see reviews39,40). Consisting mainly
of the SH2 and Src homology 3 (SH3) domains, Crk is an
adaptor protein that can bind to the phosphorylated paxillin
and p130CAS and is involved in the integrin-mediated signaling. Among the several effector proteins bound to Crk, C3G
is a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for Rap1, which is a
member of Ras family G proteins (see review41). The functions of Rap-1 may be different depending on cell types.
Rap-1 antagonizes Ras in T cells42 but activates the Raf-ERK
cascade, as does Ras, in PC12 cells43 and contributes to the
integrin-mediated adhesion of T lymphocytes and embryonic
fibroblasts.44,45 As shown in Figure 1, the activation of the
integrin-dependent FAK/c-Src pathway can lead to ERK
activation through paxillin, p130CAS, Crk, C3G, Rap-1, and
Raf. Several lines of evidence indicate that shear stress
activates this integrin-initiated signaling. First, tyrosine kinases in focal adhesions, eg, FAK and c-Src, are rapidly
activated in ECs by shear stress.19,20,46 Second, shear stress
causes tyrosine phosphorylation of p130CAS and its association with Crk in ECs and the consequent activation of ERK.47
Furthermore, the use of FAK(F397Y) and c-Src(K295R), the
respective kinase-defective mutants of FAK and c-Src, blocks
shear stress activation of ERK.19,20 Shear stress can enhance
EC directional migration in flow channels.48 –50 FAK signaling is also implicated in the shear stress–induced EC migration. Time-lapse confocal microscopy has revealed that FAK
tagged with green fluorescence protein is recruited to new
focal adhesions to support the protrusion of lamellipodia in
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the leading front and disappears at the rear of the cells.51
These findings suggest that dynamic remodeling of FAK
facilitates the rear detachment while enhancing the formation
of new focal adhesions at the leading edge. Sharing high
homology with FAK, RAFTK/Pyk2 is another member of the
FAK family. Tyrosine phosphorylation of RAFTK/Pyk2, as
that of FAK, leads to the recruitment of c-Src, p130CAS,
growth factor receptor binding protein 2 (Grb2), and the
activation of ERK (see review52). Although there is yet no
evidence that shear stress increases the phosphorylation of
RAFTK/Pyk2, it is possible that this signaling molecule plays
a role similar to that of FAK in mechanotransduction.
Although most integrins activate FAK,39,40 a subset, including ␣11, ␣51, and ␣v3, also activates Shc,53,54 which is
an adaptor protein containing a C-terminal SH2 domain.55
Tyrosine-phosphorylated Shc becomes associated with the
cognate receptor tyrosine kinases through SH2 binding and
mediates the integrin-induced signal transduction. Shc is
recruited to ␣11, ␣51, and ␣v3 in A431 cells after the
conjugation of these integrins to their corresponding antibodies.53 As shown in Figure 1, caveolin-1 (Cav-1) and Fyn
tyrosine kinase are 2 critical molecules for the Shc-dependent
pathway. Cav-1, a major protein component of caveolae, is
important for modulating multiple signaling molecules and
cholesterol trafficking.56,57 With the use of various ␣1 mutant
constructs, Wary et al54 showed that integrin ␣ subunit and
Cav-1 interact predominantly within the lipid bilayer. In the
same study, it was shown that Cav-1 is constitutively associated with the Src family member Fyn. On integrin ligation,
Fyn is activated and binds to Shc, leading to the phosphorylation of Shc at Tyr317 and recruitment of the adaptor
molecule Grb2. This sequence of events leads to the coupling
of integrins to the Ras-ERK pathway, thus promoting cell
cycle progression.54 Shear stress activation of ␣v3 and 1
integrins is associated with an increased association of these
integrins with Shc.25 It is likely that Cav-1 facilitates the
linking of Shc, Fyn, and the ␣1-integrin subunit for mechanotransduction. This hypothesis is supported by the findings that
shear stress activation of ERK is inhibited by a polyclonal
anti–Cav-158 and that shear stress can activate Fyn (S. Jalali,
S. Chien, unpublished data, 1998). The increased integrin
association with Shc is functionally related to the shear stress
activation of ERK and JNK and the consequent AP-1/TREmediated transcription, inasmuch as a dominant-negative
mutant of Shc inhibits these events.25
The association of ␣v3 and 1 with Shc has been used as
a readout to test a working model for integrins in mechanotransduction. The central theme of this model is that a
dynamic interaction between integrin and the cognate ECM
protein is crucial for mechanotransduction (Figure 2A). Two
approaches were used to block integrins from making new
connections, thus inhibiting their dynamic interaction with
ECM proteins.35 First, ECs were plated on flow channel
coated with an anti-integrin mAb so that the ability of the
integrin to make new connections was restricted by the strong
mAb/integrin conjugation (Figure 2B, top). Second, the
available integrin-binding sites of ECM proteins were
blocked by their mAb to prevent any free integrin from
making new ligations (Figure 2B, bottom). The shear stress–
induced association of ␣v3 and 1 with Shc was prevented by
either of these 2 approaches,35 suggesting that a dynamic
interaction between integrin and ECM ligands is essential for
mechanotransduction. By analyzing the real-time images of
the changes in area and topography of adhesion sites in living
cells subjected to shear stress, Davies et al59 observed
constant remodeling of focal adhesions in ECs under shear
stress, with approximately equal gains and losses of focal
adhesion areas as each site undergoes remodeling. The
working model in Figure 2 shows that (1) the focal adhesions
and the associated signaling molecules, eg, integrin and Shc,
are dynamic in their interactions and that (2) mechanotransduction can occur at the abluminal side of ECs through the
integrin-ECM interaction. These are in concert with the
observations made by Davies et al.
Role of RhoA in Mechanotransduction
Chemical stimuli (eg, lysophosphatidic acid) cause a transient
translocation of RhoA from cytosol to membrane or cytoskeleton on activation.6 Shear stress, such as produced by
chemical stimuli, causes a transient increase in RhoA association with the membrane.60 Integrin activation in ECs by
either attachment to ECM or mechanical shearing causes a
2-phase change in RhoA activity. EC attachment to ECM
initially causes a decrease in RhoA activity, which has been
linked to an activation of either FAK or Src, resulting in
tyrosine phosphorylation and activation of p190 Rho GTPase–activating protein.61,62 This transient suppression is
followed by a modest activation phase.63 Using Rho GTP
loading assays, Tzima et al34 have shown that shear stress
causes a similar 2-phase change in RhoA activity. The shear
stress modulation of RhoA activity is attenuated if the new
integrin-ECM interaction is inhibited by blocking the unoccupied ECM protein (fibronectin) sites with the blocking-type
mAb.34 These results support the hypothesis that RhoA is also
regulated by the dynamic integrin-ECM binding in ECs in
response to shear stress (Figure 2).
The shear stress activation of Rho is linked functionally to
EC migration, MAPK signaling, and the organization of the
actin-based cytoskeleton. The inhibition of RhoA with C3
exoenzyme reduces EC migration under static and flow
conditions.48 The attenuation of shear stress activation of JNK
by RhoN19, a dominant-negative mutant of RhoA, suggests
that RhoA regulates the shear stress induction of JNKmediated AP-1/TRE activation.60 Shear stress–induced cell
alignment and stress fiber formation were inhibited by
RhoN19 and by a kinase-defective mutant of the Rho effector
ROCK,60 which is a Rho-associated Ser/Thr kinase.64 RhoA
regulates cofilin, an actin-depolymerizing protein, via ROCK
and LIM kinase (LIMK),65,66 and this may provide one of the
pathways that mediate the shear stress–induced actin reorganization. The RhoA-ROCK-LIMK-cofilin signal transduction
pathway, which is known to modulate the spatial and temporal specificity of the actin assembly in response to various
extracellular stimuli, has recently been shown to also regulate
the shear stress activation of SREBP.67
Summary and Discussion
Investigations on the effects of shear stress have demonstrated that integrins play significant roles in the shear-
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773
Figure 2. A, Model for dynamic interaction of integrins with ECM in shear stress– elicited mechanotransduction. Under shear stress, the mechanosensitive integrins (eg, ␣v3) interact dynamically with
the cognate ECM proteins (eg, vitronectin). The
activated integrins repeat the dissociation and
association with ECM proteins, and this dynamic
“new binding” of integrin-ECM is essential for
downstream signaling events, such as the ␣v3Shc association and RhoA activation. B, Schematic illustration of 2 experimental studies34,35 that
support the model. At the top, ECs were plated on
glass slides coated with LM609 anti-␣v3 mAb to
restrict the new binding of ␣v3. This restriction of
new binding by attaching firmly to the mAb also
blocked the shear stress activation of Shc and
RhoA. At the bottom, ECs were plated on vitronectin, and the unbound ␣v3 binding sites on vitronectin were occupied by 661 mAb, which recognizes the ␣v3 binding sites of vitronectin. The
prevention of ␣v3 binding to available sites of vitronectin blocked the shear stress activation of
Shc and RhoA.
Downloaded from http://ahajournals.org by on November 25, 2021
elicited signaling in ECs. These studies demonstrate that
integrins are involved not only in cell adhesion and migration
but also in mechanotransduction. However, additional studies
are needed to address the molecular basis of mechanosensing
by integrins and its relation to vascular biology.
Although the apical membrane of ECs is directly exposed
to flow, WOW-1 immunostaining at the basal side of the
sheared ECs suggests the activation of integrins on the
abluminal membrane.34 In line with this observation, shear
stress also elicits the dynamic remodeling of focal adhesions
on the basal side of ECs.59 These results raise the question of
whether the inactive integrins on the apical membrane translocate to the basal membrane after their activation by shear
stress or whether only the integrins interacting with ECM on
the basal side are activated by shear stress. In either case,
dynamic changes in the membrane would be required to
either translocate the activated integrins or transduce the
mechanical stimuli from the apical to the basal membrane.
One possible mechanism by which shear stress activates
integrins through the cell membrane is the shear-induced
increase in membrane fluidity,68,69 which may lead to an
augmented avidity of integrins. By increasing their lateral
mobility in the plane of the membrane, which is followed by
a conformational change, the integrins in the basal membrane
can enhance their dynamic interaction with the cognate ECM
proteins. The resulting increases in integrin avidity and
affinity may thus activate some of the integrin-associated
signaling molecules.
Many shear stress–activated signaling events depend on
the actin-based cytoskeleton. Apparently, RhoA regulates the
assembly of stress fiber in response to shear stress. However,
the detailed molecule interplay among integrins, RhoA, and
actin in mechanotransduction remains elusive. Within the
RhoA signaling cascade, p21-activated kinase (PAK)-1, like
ROCK, regulates cytoskeletal reorganization, actin polymerization, and focal adhesion formation. Both ROCK and
PAK-1 can phosphorylate LIMK, and the activated LIMK
(phosphorylated form) can then phosphorylate cofilin, which
is an actin-regulatory protein. Dominant-negative mutants of
PAK-1 block the shear stress–induced cytoskeletal remodeling,70 suggesting that other RhoA downstream effector proteins may also contribute to the mechanotransduction. An
intact actin cytoskeleton is necessary for many, if not all,
mechanotransduction processes. One possible explanation is
that the cytoskeletal network facilitates the translocation of
various signaling molecules from the focal adhesion site to
the cytoplasm. In contrast, the tensegrity model suggests that
the F-actin can be used for transmitting forces from integrins
to intracellular organelles.71 How cytoskeleton coordinates
with membrane fluidity and the dynamic integrin-ECM in-
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November 1, 2002
teraction in regulating intracellular signaling needs further
investigation.
The majority of the work cited in the present review are
studies using laminar flow channels. A comparison between
laminar versus disturbed flow in their modulation of integrins
and the associated RhoA would be important in understanding their physiological and pathophysiological roles in vascular biology, because the preferential location of atherosclerotic lesion in branch points and curved regions may be
related to the local disturbed flow patterns. Finally, like any
molecular mechanisms elucidated from in vitro experiments,
the mechanisms of mechanotransduction deduced from flow
channels need to be verified by studies on the responses of
vascular wall to various flow patterns. Davies et al72 have
recently demonstrated the feasibility of such an experimental
approach. By profiling the gene expression in single ECs
isolated from pig common carotid artery and comparing these
results from those from flow channel experiments, these
authors suggested more expression heterogeneity in the disturbed than in the undisturbed flow area. Similarly, profiling
the integrin-mediated transcription in the arterial tree would
help us understand better the role of integrin-elicited mechanotransduction in health and disease.
Acknowledgments
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16.
17.
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22.
23.
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This review was supported in part by NIH grants HL-19454,
HL-62747, and HL-64382 (Dr Chien) and grants HL-56707 and
HL-60789 (Dr Shyy) from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood
Institute. Dr Shyy is an Established Investigator of the American
Heart Association.
25.
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