High-resolution optical imaging for analysis of displacement and deformation fields in cell biology

Although multiple responses of artery wall cells to an altered fluid mechanical environment have been characterized, the mechanisms by which cells transduce changes in blood flow forces into biochemical signals remain unknown. The expression of green fluorescent protein fused to cytoskeletal proteins has allowed direct observation of structural movement induced by fluid shear stress in living cells at high spatial and temporal resolution. Deconvolution and image restoration of fluorescence images acquired by 3D optical sectioning microscopy allows measurement of cytoskeletal displacement and strain fields using endogenous intracellular features. The data suggest a heterogeneous distribution of intracellular force that may play a significant role in the spatial organization of flow-induced signaling.