Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Differences In The Mechanism Of Collagen Lattice Contraction By Myofibroblasts And Smooth Muscle Cells, J. C. Dallon, H P. Ehrlich

Faculty Publications

Both rat derived vascular smooth muscle cells (SMC) and human myofibroblasts contain $\alpha$ smooth muscle actin (SMA), but they utilize different mechanisms to contract populated collagen lattices (PCLs). The difference is in how the cells generate the force that contracts the lattices. Human dermal fibroblasts transform into myofibroblasts, expressing $\alpha$-SMA within stress fibers, when cultured in lattices that remain attached to the surface of a tissue culture dish. When attached lattices are populated with rat derived vascular SMC, the cells retain their vascular SMC phenotype. Comparing the contraction of attached PCLs when they are released from the culture dish on …