Fig. 3

Differential Piezo1 signaling in vascular endothelial cells exposed to laminar versus disturbed flow. Laminar flow A and disturbed flow B tigger an initial mechanotransduction response that converges on purinergic P2Y2 receptors, G protein alpha subunit Galphaq and G11 (Gq/11) signaling, and the platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1)/vascular endothelial cadherin (VE)-cadherin/vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR2) complex. Under laminar flow A, integrin α5 remains inactive, whereas endothelial nitric oxide synthase(eNOS) becomes active, producing vasodilatory and anti-atherogenic effects. In contrast, disturbed flow B engages integrin α5 and nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cell (NF-κB), resulting in a pro-atherogenic transcriptional program