The Involvement of the Rho-Kinase Pathway and Its Regulation in Cytokine-Induced Collagen Gel Contraction by Hyalocytes

Abstract

The hyalocytes have a contractile property in the presence of PDGF-BB and TGF-beta2. Whereas PDGF-BB initiates collagen gel contraction by transient activation of the Rho-kinase pathway, sustained activation of the Rho-kinase pathway and myofibroblast-like transdifferentiation appears to be involved in the TGF-beta2-dependent contractile properties of hyalocytes.