Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) is a clinically used therapy that promotes healing of fractured bones and also improves the healing of other tissues. Nevertheless, only a little is known about its underlying mechanisms of action. In their study on page 2277, Christoph Ballestrem and co-workers investigate how the physical stimulation of cells, through the forces exerted by LIPUS, is converted into biochemical signalling to elicit a wound-healing response. By using live-cell imaging, they observe a dramatic rearrangement of the actin cytoskeleton upon stimulation with LIPUS, including the formation of circular dorsal ruffles and protrusions, resulting in increased cell motility. Mechanistically, the authors show that LIPUS induces the activation of Rac1 and Cdc42, with Rac1 mediating the observed cytoskeletal changes. In addressing the question of how LIPUS is sensed by the cell, the authors demonstrate that mechanosensing is mediated through vinculin at focal adhesions, as disrupting the link between vinculin and the actin cytoskeleton abolished the LIPUS-mediated effects on cell motility. Interestingly, LIPUS also increased the number of EEA1-positive endosomes in a Rac1-dependent manner, which, as shown here, is also dependent on vinculin. This work thus describes a pathway for LIPUS sensing that involves a role for vinculin in modulating a Rab5–Rac1 pathway to stimulate endocytosis and cell motility, thereby contributing to wound healing.
Vinculin-mediated sensing of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound
Vinculin-mediated sensing of low-intensity pulsed ultrasound. J Cell Sci 15 July 2017; 130 (14): e1401. doi:
Download citation file:
Advertisement
Cited by
Imaging Cell Architecture and Dynamics
We are still welcoming submissions for our upcoming Special Issue: Imaging Cell Architecture and Dynamics. This issue will be coordinated by two Guest Editors: Lucy Collinson (The Francis Crick Institute, UK) and Guillaume Jacquemet (University of Turku, Finland). Extended submission deadline: 29 March 2024.
Journal of Cell Science - more than just a journal
People who know JCS well will know that we're more than just a journal and that our community – the cell biology community – really is at the heart of everything we do. Read the full Editorial by Editor-in-Chief Michael Way and Executive Editor Seema Grewal.
2024 Journal Meeting 'Diversity and Evolution in Cell Biology'
Registration is open for our 2024 Journal Meeting Diversity and Evolution in Cell Biology, which aims to bring together evolutionary biologists and cell biologists investigating diverse aspects of cellular physiology. Submit your abstract by 5 April. Final registration deadline: 3 May 2024.
Workshop: Roles of Lipids in Nuclear Homeostasis and Genome Stability
Early-career researchers interested in the roles of nuclear lipids, apply now for one of the ten funded places at this Workshop, which will take place 14-17 October 2024. Application deadline: 19 April.
Reasons to submit to Journal of Cell Science
There are many benefits to publishing in Journal of Cell Science - read more about why you should choose JCS or visit our submission page now.