VASCULAR MECHANOTRANSDUCTION

This review aims to survey the current state of mechanotransduction in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and endothelial cells (ECs), including their sensing of mechanical stimuli and transduction of me-chanical signals that result in the acute functional modulation and longer-term transcriptomic and epigenetic regulation of blood vessels. The mechanosensors discussed include ion channels, plasma membrane -asso-ciated structures and receptors, and junction proteins. The mechanosignaling pathways presented include the cytoskeleton, integrins, extracellular matrix, and intracellular signaling molecules. These are followed by discussions on mechanical regulation of transcriptome and epigenetics, relevance of mechanotransduction to health and disease, and interactions between VSMCs and ECs. Throughout this review, we offer sugges-tions for specific topics that require further understanding. In the closing section on conclusions and per-spectives, we summarize what is known and point out the need to treat the vasculature as a system, including not only VSMCs and ECs but also the extracellular matrix and other types of cells such as resident macrophages and pericytes, so that we can fully understand the physiology and pathophysiology of the blood vessel as a whole, thus enhancing the comprehension, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of vascu-lar diseases.

Automated summary

This review provides an overview of mechanotransduction in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and endothelial cells (ECs), discussing their sensing of mechanical stimuli and transduction of mechanical signals. It covers various mechanosensors and mechanosignaling pathways involved, as well as the mechanical regulation of transcriptome and epigenetics. The relevance of mechanotransduction to health and disease, as well as the interactions between VSMCs and ECs, are also examined. The review emphasizes the need to understand the vasculature as a whole system for a comprehensive understanding and effective management of vascular diseases.