1. GPR68 Senses Flow and Is Essential for Vascular Physiology
- Author
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Xu, Jie, Mathur, Jayanti, Vessières, Emilie, Hammack, Scott, Nonomura, Keiko, Favre, Julie, Grimaud, Linda, Petrus, Matt, Francisco, Allain, Li, Jingyuan, Lee, Van, Xiang, Fu-li, Mainquist, James K, Cahalan, Stuart M, Orth, Anthony P, Walker, John R, Ma, Shang, Lukacs, Viktor, Bordone, Laura, Bandell, Michael, Laffitte, Bryan, Xu, Yan, Chien, Shu, Henrion, Daniel, and Patapoutian, Ardem
- Subjects
Atherosclerosis ,Cardiovascular ,Aetiology ,2.1 Biological and endogenous factors ,Animals ,Biocompatible Materials ,Calcium ,Cell Line ,Tumor ,Endothelial Cells ,Endothelium ,Vascular ,HEK293 Cells ,Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells ,Humans ,Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ,Mechanotransduction ,Cellular ,Mesenteric Arteries ,Mice ,Mice ,Inbred C57BL ,Mice ,Knockout ,Nitric Oxide ,RNA Interference ,RNA ,Small Interfering ,Receptors ,G-Protein-Coupled ,Shear Strength ,Stress ,Mechanical ,Vascular Resistance ,GPCR ,blood flow ,mechanosensation ,mechanotransduction ,outward remodeling ,shear stress ,vascular biology ,vasodilation ,Biological Sciences ,Medical and Health Sciences ,Developmental Biology - Abstract
Mechanotransduction plays a crucial role in vascular biology. One example of this is the local regulation of vascular resistance via flow-mediated dilation (FMD). Impairment of this process is a hallmark of endothelial dysfunction and a precursor to a wide array of vascular diseases, such as hypertension and atherosclerosis. Yet the molecules responsible for sensing flow (shear stress) within endothelial cells remain largely unknown. We designed a 384-well screening system that applies shear stress on cultured cells. We identified a mechanosensitive cell line that exhibits shear stress-activated calcium transients, screened a focused RNAi library, and identified GPR68 as necessary and sufficient for shear stress responses. GPR68 is expressed in endothelial cells of small-diameter (resistance) arteries. Importantly, Gpr68-deficient mice display markedly impaired acute FMD and chronic flow-mediated outward remodeling in mesenteric arterioles. Therefore, GPR68 is an essential flow sensor in arteriolar endothelium and is a critical signaling component in cardiovascular pathophysiology.
- Published
- 2018