Figure 5. Schematic drawing of the effects of uniaxial cyclic strain on actin stress fiber orientation of vascular derived cells cultured on elliptical microposts aligned with the direction of strain.

Our results revealed two kinds of cellular responses: Remaining and reoriented cells. (a) The remaining cells remain aligned with the contact guidance cue provided by the micropost elliptical cross section. The perinuclear basal and actin cap fibers run parallel to each other. (b) Reoriented cells orient themselves at an angle ≥20°. This orientation is mainly given by actin cap fibers orientation. These fibers have a strain avoidance response. Perinuclear basal actin fibers instead do not reorient but remain aligned with the contact guidance cue. The nuclear orientation is similar to the actin cap orientation. Figure by Anthal Smits.