Abstract
Pressure is experienced throughout the body and regulated in various organ systems such as the vasculature, lungs, eyes, bladder, bone marrow, and brain. Because of the long-lasting assumption that cells are incompressible and do not deform under hydrostatic pressure, the conventional view is that cells cannot detect this physical quantity. The results of numerous in vitro studies, however, suggest that multiple mammalian cell types are sensitive to pure hydrostatic pressure within normal physiological (in kPa) ranges and that responses are mediated by activation of membrane-bound ion channels. To date, however, the exact physical mechanism by which these low level pressures directly activate the ion channels and trigger a cascade of signaling events is still unknown. Continued investigation to improve our understanding of cellular mechanotransduction of hydrostatic pressure is critical for development of treatment approaches for pressure-related pathophysiological conditions in multiple organ systems.
