Journal article
Less is more: Minimal expression of myoendothelial gap junctions optimizes cell-cell communication in virtual arterioles
Journal of Physiology, Vol.592(15), pp.3243-3255
2014
Abstract
Dysfunctional electrical signalling within the arteriolar wall is a major cause of cardiovascular disease. The endothelial cell (EC) layer constitutes the primary electrical pathway, coordinating contraction of the overlying smooth muscle cell (SMC) layer. As myoendothelial gap junctions (MEGJs) provide direct contact between the cell layers, proper vasomotor responses are thought to depend on a high, uniform MEGJ density. However, MEGJs are observed to be heterogeneously expressed within and among vascular beds. This discrepancy is addressed in the present study. As no direct measures of MEGJ conductance exist, we employed a computational modelling approach to vary the number, conductance, and distribution of MEGJs. Our simulations demonstrate that a minimal number of randomly distributed MEGJs augment arteriolar cell-cell communication by increasing conduction efficiency and ensuring appropriate membrane potential responses in SMCs. We show that electrical coupling between SMCs must be tailored to the particular MEGJ distribution. Finally, observation of non-decaying mechanical conduction in arterioles without regeneration has been a long-standing controversy in the microvascular field. As heterogeneous MEGJ distributions provide for different conduction profiles along the cell layers, we demonstrate that a non-decaying conduction profile is possible in the SMC layer of a vessel with passive electrical properties. These intriguing findings redefine the concept of efficient electrical communication in the microcirculation, illustrating how heterogeneous properties, ubiquitous in biological systems, may have a profound impact on system behaviour and how acute local and global flow control is explained from the biophysical foundations.
Details
- Title
- Less is more: Minimal expression of myoendothelial gap junctions optimizes cell-cell communication in virtual arterioles
- Authors
- Bjorn Olav Hald (Author) - University of Copenhagen, DenmarkJens Christian Brings Jacobsen (Author) - University of Copenhagen, DenmarkShaun L Sandow (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast - Faculty of Science, Health, Education and EngineeringNiels-Henrik Holstein-Rathlou (Author) - University of Copenhagen, DenmarkDonald G Welsh (Author) - University of Calgary, Canada
- Publication details
- Journal of Physiology, Vol.592(15), pp.3243-3255
- Publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
- Date published
- 2014
- DOI
- 10.1113/jphysiol.2014.272815
- ISSN
- 0022-3751
- Copyright note
- Copyright © 2014 Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd. This is the accepted version of the following article: Hald, B. O., Jacobsen, J. C. B., Sandow, S. L., Holstein-Rathlou, N.-H. and Welsh, D. G. (2014), Less is more: minimal expression of myoendothelial gap junctions optimizes cell-cell communication in virtual arterioles. J Physiol, 592: 3243-3255, which has been published in final form at doi:10.1113/jphysiol.2014.272815
- Organisation Unit
- School of Health - Biomedicine; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; School of Health and Sport Sciences - Legacy; School of Health and Behavioural Sciences - Legacy
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99448850402621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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