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Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Cell and Developmental Biology

Western University

Theses/Dissertations

2020

Intervertebral Disc; Annulus Fibrosus; Cyclic Tensile Strain; Actin Cytoskeleton; Gene Expression; Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 4; Fate-Mapping; Needle Puncture Injury; Mouse Models

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Full-Text Articles in Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology

Characterization Of Mechanotransduction In Annulus Fibrosus Cells, Min Kyu M. Kim Aug 2020

Characterization Of Mechanotransduction In Annulus Fibrosus Cells, Min Kyu M. Kim

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

IVD degeneration is a multifactorial pathological process associated with back pain. While biomechanical factors are important regulators of IVD homeostasis, mechanical loading also contribute to the onset of IVD degeneration. Importantly, the mechanotransduction pathways that mediate cell type-specific responses to mechanical loading are not well understood. Transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) is a multimodally activated cell surface cation channel implicated as a mechanoreceptor regulating the mechano-response in other musculoskeletal cell types. Using both in vitro and in vivo models, the current study aimed to characterize the role of TRPV4 in annulus fibrosus (AF) cell mechanotransduction. Using a mechanically dynamic …