Inner space: a view from inside our arteries

Endothelial Ca2+ signalling in hypertension visualized from inside pressurized arteries

Professor John McCarron and his team at the University of Strathclyde are studying the inner lining of blood vessels, called the endothelium. This cell layer senses changes in blood pressure, blood flow and blood composition, and sends signals to control virtually all blood vessel functions. If the endothelium malfunctions, the structure and function of the blood vessel changes, leading to blood vessel diseases such as high blood pressure and atherosclerosis. To develop new treatments, we need to better understand how the endothelium senses signals, how this links to blood vessel function, and what goes wrong in disease. Because the endothelium is in the innermost part of blood vessels, it is difficult to study. Professor McCarron has developed a new imaging system to visualise the signals sent by the endothelium from inside arteries. He has previously used this technique to discover that groups of endothelial cells operate as an interconnected network, like a modern telecommunication system, to detect and relay signals. In this project, he will study this network is more detail. Professor McMarron hopes to provide the first maps of the communication pathways linking endothelial signals with blood vessel function and the changes in the communication network in high blood pressure. Understanding how normal healthy endothelium works and what changes take place in blood vessel disease is critical to generate new treatments for blood vessel disease.