Stretch-dependent genes in vascular smooth muscle cells

Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) respond to biomechanical stretch with specific changes in gene expression which govern the phenotype of these cells. The mechanotransducer zyxin is a potential candidate for regulating the expression of such genes. Using microarrays, we compared stretch-induced gene expression in wild type and zyxin-null VSMCs to define such changes in detail. Wild type (WT) and zyxin-null VSMCs were stretched at 10% cyclic elongation for 6 hours and the changes in gene expression were compared under static and stretched conditions. Up to 3 biological replicates were used for each of the 4 sample types.