Physiological and Pathological Implications for Mechanotransduction in the Brain
A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409). This special issue belongs to the section "Cellular Pathology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2021) | Viewed by 508
Special Issue Editor
Interests: intercellular signaling at the neurovascular; neurovascular uncoupling; vascular tone; Ca2+ dynamics; astrocyte biology; cerebral perfusion; hypertension; neurovascular unit
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The process by which a mechanical force is transduced into an electrical or chemical signal to evoke a cellular response is referred to as mechanotransduction. Numerous cells are endowed with mechanosensitive proteins, but their functional implication in both health and disease is poorly understood, rendering this topic an active area of research. Mechanical forces such as pressure and wall shear stress are a main component of the cardiovascular system. Importantly, these forces vary with age and disease conditions such as vessel stiffness, hypertension and Alzheimer’s disease. Mechanostimulation can also result from, or be amplified by, changes in the composition of the cell membrane, the extracellular matrix, cell volume and hydrodynamics, to name a few. In the brain, mechanostimulation, in response to increases in intravascular pressure and intracranial pressure, has been reported in neurons and glial cells, but the underlying physiological implication of this is unclear. The recently discovered Piezo1 and Piezo2 ion channels provided evidence for the importance of mechanically activated ion channels in development, inflammation, exercise, baroreceptor sensing of blood pressure, pain and lymphatic function, to name a few. Likewise, other mechanically activated ion channels have been implicated in biological processes, but our knowledge of how they become activated, what type of force is transduced, how the is signal discriminated, and many other questions remain to be elucidated.
Given that mechanosensors are present in a wide range of cell types, new hypotheses and important discoveries are projected. In light of this exciting emerging topic, we call for studies addressing the impact of mechanotransduction in cell function. We invite studies exploring innovative approaches to study the process of mechanotransduction in cell-to-cell interactions, dichotomies in cellular responses, the onset and progression of diseases, and, more generally, provocative hypotheses with exciting findings.
Prof. Jessica Filosa
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- mechanically activated ion channels
- Piezo
- TRP
- calcium
- pressure
- pulsatility
- shear
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