Mechanosensation and the Primary Cilium

The primary cilium has come under increased scrutiny as a site for mechano- and chemosensation by cells. We have undertaken a program of study using mouse renal cell lines from the cortical collecting duct to quantify how mechanical forces arising from fluid shear are transduced into cellular responses. Fluid flow through a model nephron has been analyzed to determine the in vivo forces. A novel tissue culture flow chamber permitting accurate reproduction of physiologically relevant conditions has been calibrated. We have determined that in vivo conditions can be accurately modeled in our flow chamber.