ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of cytoskeleton reorganization inhibition with RNA interference on the activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK1/2) in primary osteoblasts induced by fluid shear stress (FSS).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>BALB/c mouse primary cultured osteoblasts were isolated by enzyme digestion technique. Osteoblasts were treated with LIM domain kinase 2 (LIM-2) specific siRNA or negative control siRNA, and then were loaded or unloaded by FSS of 1.2 Pa for 0, 5, 15, 30 and 60 min, respectively. The Western blotting was performed to detect the protein expression levels of P-ERK1/2 and ERK1/2, respectively. Two-way ANOVA and one-way ANOVA were used in data analysis.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>FSS loading for different time (0, 5, 15, 30, 60 min) treated with negative RNA inteference had significant effect on the levels of P-ERK/ERK ratio (0.047 ± 0.031, 0.253 ± 0.137, 0.390 ± 0.155, 0.613 ± 0.123, 0.680 ± 0.108, respectively, P < 0.01). Statistical analysis showed that there was significant interaction between FSS and cytoskeleton reorganization inhibition treated with RNA inteference on the levels of P-ERK/ERK ratio (P < 0.01). The levels of P-ERK/ERK ratio increased when osteoblasts were loaded for 5 - 15 min (0.623 ± 0.129 and 0.623 ± 0.064, respectively, P < 0.05) and returned to baseline at 30 min (0.333 ± 0.086), and then reached the peak at 60 min (0.667 ± 0.064, P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>FSS could activate ERK1/2 rapidly in primary cultured osteoblasts. Cytoskeleton reorganization inhibition treated with RNA interference speeded-up the activation of ERK1/2 by FSS, which could increase the sensitivity of ERK1/2 to FSS.</p>
Subject(s)
Animals , Mice , Cells, Cultured , Cytoskeleton , Metabolism , Physiology , Lim Kinases , Genetics , Metabolism , Mechanotransduction, Cellular , Mice, Inbred BALB C , Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1 , Metabolism , Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3 , Metabolism , Osteoblasts , Cell Biology , Phosphorylation , RNA Interference , RNA, Small Interfering , Stress, MechanicalABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the effects of cofilin on the actin cytoskeleton reorganization in osteoblasts induced by fluid shear stress.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Fluid shear stress (1.2 Pa) was applied to osteoblasts for 0 (control group), 15, 30, 45, 60, 120 min in vitro. Cells were stained with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-phalloidin for fiber-actin, and confocal laser scanning microscope(CLSM) was used to observe the fluorescence of fiber-actin. Western blotting was used to detect the expression of the cofilin and the phospho-cofilin.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Actin filaments became organized into stress fibers that were thicker and more abundant than those in non-flowed cells. The fluorescence intensity (38.00 ± 6.88) of fiber-actin after 120 min (42.93 ± 6.41) loading it was 2.8 times as much as that in control group (15.41 ± 3.60, P < 0.05). Additionally, the level of phospho-cofilin protein was dramatically elevated after loading. Fluid shear stress induced an initial decrease of cofilin at 60 min. However, at 120 min cofilin (0.254 ± 0.026) increased to 1.5 times as much as that at 60 min (0.162 ± 0.004).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The results indicate that cofilin phosphorylation mediates fiber-actin reorganization in the osteoblasts induced by fluid shear stress.</p>