Understanding the communications system of blood vessels

A multicellular endothelial signalling web coordinates vascular function and is impaired in hypertension

All blood vessels are lined with endothelium – a layer of cells that control many processes in the circulatory system. Professor McCarron’s work suggests that different endothelial cells have distinct jobs to do and communicate with each other through a complex communication network. In this programme, Professor McCarron will study this communication network to determine how it normally coordinates blood vessels and how the network changes in people with high blood pressure. Professor McCarron and his team will study the communication network using arteries from rats and humans with either normal or high blood pressure. This system depends on the flow of calcium in and out of cells which can be visualised in isolated arteries using a microscope. The effect of applying different pressures to the arteries or using drugs that alter calcium flow will be measured. The goal is to understand: 1) How the endothelial cell network is organized in normal and elevated blood pressure, and (2) why signalling through the network changes in high blood pressure. The hope is to create a map of the network, showing where different communication channels meet, and which hubs are most important for controlling blood pressure. These hubs could be targets for new treatments for high blood pressure.