Spatial Regulation of Inflammation by Human Aortic Endothelial Cells in a Linear Gradient of Shear Stress

Abstract

We found that the endothelium can sense a change in shear stress on the order of 0.25 dyne/cm2 over a length of approximately 10 cells, regulating the level of protein transcription, cellular adhesion molecule expression, and leukocyte recruitment during inflammation.