Kimiko Yamamoto
Lecturer,Department of Biomedical Engineering ,Graduate School of Medicine,The University of Tokyo　　

Vascular endothelial cells (ECs), covering the inner surface of blood vessels, are in direct contact with blood flow and are exposed to shear stress, the frictional force exerted by flowing blood.

ECs recognize changes in shear stress and transmit signals to the interior of the cell, leading to cellular responses which play important roles in blood-flow-dependent phenomena such as vascular tone control, angiogenesis, and vascular remodeling.

However, the molecular mechanisms of shear-stress-sensing have not been identified. Therefore, in this study, mechanotransduction in vascular cells will be analyzed at a nano-scale order utilizing the most up-to-date imaging techniques.

Homepage URL： http://bme-sysphysiol.m.u-tokyo.ac.jp/