Mechanotransduction, the ability of cells to detect and react to mechanical forces, is increasingly playing a critical role in a variety of physiological and pathophysiological processes. While the focus has previously been on the MAPK, NF-ϰB and ROS generating pathways, ancient embryological pathways have reached little attention. Recently, a surge of new studies have been published on these pathways and their role in mechanotransduction and this review paper aims to provide a concise overview on the latest studies and brings them in to a larger perspective. Special emphasis is on the non-canonical aspects of the Wnt, TGF-β and Notch pathways and their role in flow.
the Notch, TGFβ and Wnt signalling pathways are known to be up-regulated by laminar shear stress and to play a role in endothelial function and dysfunction. Although these pathways are shear-sensitive the mechanisms of mechanoactivation are unknown and may be mediated by i) upstream mechanosensor(s) that regulate the expression of the components of the pathways, ii) known mechanosensitive pathways e.g. MAPK5-KLF2 pathway, or iii) paracrine and autocrine release of co-factors that may modulate the pathways.
the vast majority of the studies on crosstalk between these pathways in endothelial cellshave been targeted towards understanding vascular development and angiogenesis. The role of crosstalk between these pathways in adult endothelial cells is largely unknown. Furthermore, there have been no studies on the interaction between these pathways in combination with shear stress and as such this is an important area of future study.
Common Design 