John Shyy
Professor of Biomedical Sciences

Ph.D., Ohio State University Email: john.shyy@ucr.edu

Research Summary

The major aim of my research is to elucidate the molecular mechanisms by which fluid shear stress and mechanical stretch activate gene expression in cells in the cardiovascular system. A variety of devices have been designed and engineered to subject a monolayer of cultured endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells, and cardiac myocytes to well-defined mechanical forces. These include a rectangular flow channel with a uniform shear stress, a tapered flow channel with shear stress varying along the channel length, a step flow channel with disturbed flow patterns to stimulate vessel branch regions, and a cyclic stretch device to apply uniform biaxial strain to simulate oscillatory pressure. The expression of a number of genes related to atherogenesis, hypertension and hypertrophy, as well as the upstream signal transduction in response to variations in the magnitude of shear stress and stretch and flow pattern is studied.

Selected Publications

Jalili, S., del Pozo, M.A., Chen, K.-D., Miao, H., Schwartz, M.A., Shyy, J.Y.-J. and Chien, S. 2001. Integrin-mediated mechanotransduction requires its dynamic interaction with the ECM ligand. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 98: 1042-1046.

Lin, K., Hsiu, P.-P., Chen, B.P., Yuan, S., Peck, K., Shyy, J.Y.-J., Li, Y.-S. and Chien, S. 2000. Inhibition of endothelium growth by laminar shear stress: The involvement of GADD45 and p53. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 97: 9385-9389.

Chen, K.-D., Li, Y.-S., Kim, M., Li, S., Chien, S. and Shyy, J.Y.-J. 1999. Roles of receptor tyrosine kinases, integrins, and Shc in the mechanotransduction in response to fluid shear stress. J. Biol. Chem. 274: 18393-18400.

Li, S., Chen, B.P., Hu, Y.-L., Wu, S.Z., Shyy, J.Y.-J. and Chien, S. 1999. Distinct roles of small GTPases Cdc42 and Rho in endothelial responses to shear stress. J. Clin. Invest. 103: 114-1150.

Bhullar, I.S., Li, Y.-S., Miao, H., Zandi, E., Kim, M, Shyy, J.Y.-J. and Chien, S. 1998. Fluid shear stress activation of IkB kinase is integrin-dependent. J. Biol. Chem. 273: 30544-30549.

Sotoudeh, M., Jalali, S., Usami, S., Shyy, J.Y.-J. and Chien, S. 1998. A strain device imposing dynamic and uniform equi-biaxial stretch to cultured cells. Annals Biomed. Eng. 26: 181-189.

Jalili, S., Li, Y.-S., Sotoudeh, M., Yuan, S., Li, S., Chen, S. and Shyy, J.Y.-J. 1998. Shear stress activates p60src-Ras-MAPKs signaling pathways in vascular endothelial cells. Arterioscler. Thromb. Vasc. Biol. 18: 227-234.

Published On-Line Data

Oxidative Stress is Involved in the Development of Experimental Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm: A Study of the Transcription Profile by cDNA Microarray