Abstract
Mechanosensitive ion channels are widely expressed in the cardiovascular system. They translate mechanical forces including shear stress and stretch into biological signals. The most prominent biological signal through which the cardiovascular physiological activity is initiated or maintained are intracellular calcium ions (Ca(2+)). Growing evidence show that the Ca(2+) entry mediated by mechanosensitive ion channels is also precisely regulated by a variety of key proteins which are distributed in the cell membrane or endoplasmic reticulum. Recent studies have revealed that mechanosensitive ion channels can even physically interact with Ca(2+) regulatory proteins and these interactions have wide implications for physiology and pathophysiology. Therefore, this paper reviews the cross-talk between mechanosensitive ion channels and some key Ca(2+) regulatory proteins in the maintenance of calcium homeostasis and its relevance to cardiovascular health and disease.