BLADDER SMOOTH MUSCLE CELL RESPONSE TO MECHANICAL FORCES

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DESCRIPTION: (Adapted from the applicant's abstract) The long term goal of this application is to understand the mechanism by which bladder smooth muscle cells respond to mechanical signals which are a part of their immediate in vivo environment. An apparatus has been developed which permits the application of precise levels of biaxal deformation to cells in culture. The effects of this mechanical strain can be assessed morphologically, biochemically, and physiologically. It is hypothesized that stress induced by stretch or hydrostatic pressure alters bladder smooth muscle cells and that one result of this deformation is an alteration in connective tissue synthesis which causes the bladder to become less compliant. The specific aims of this proposal are: (1) to set up an in vitro model using bladder smooth muscle cells and to mechanically deform these cells using stretch and or hydrostatic pressure; and (2) to determine if matrix synthesis by bladder smooth muscle cells is altered under strained and unstrained conditions.