FAK- and TGF-β1-dependent biomechanical alterations in microvascular endothelial cells exposed to fluid shear stress gradients.

Spatial shear stress gradients in microvascular endothelial cells produce an immediate, sustained two-fold decrease in migration speed, with enhanced collective coordination and directional migration against flow.

• Why it matters: Shear stress gradients are linked to vascular pathologies, but how they directly reshape endothelial biomechanics across endothelial cell types is not well defined.
• What they did: Using an impinging flow device compatible with videomicroscopy, two endothelial cell types were exposed to shear stress gradients while migration, traction, and monolayer stresses were tracked over time.
• The result: Flow-opposed migration is governed by FAK mechanotransduction, while the time-dependent rise in traction depends on TGF-β1 signaling and actomyosin contractility, informing diagnostics and therapeutics.

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