The Roles of Proteinase-Activated Receptors in the Vascular Physiology and Pathophysiology

Proteinase-activated receptors (PARs) belong to a family of G protein-coupled receptors, thus mediating the cellular effects of proteinases. In the vascular system, thrombin and other proteinases in the coagulation-fibrinolysis system are considered to be the physiologically relevant agonists, whereas PARs are among the most important mechanisms mediating the interaction between the coagulation-fibrinolysis system and the vascular wall. Under physiological conditions, PARs are mainly expressed in endothelial cells, and participate in the regulation of vascular tone, mostly by inducing endothelium-dependent relaxation. PARs in endothelial cells are also suggested to contribute to a proinflammatory phenotypic conversion and an increase in the permeability of vascular lesions. In smooth muscle cells, PARs mediate contraction, migration, proliferation, hypertrophy, and production of the extracellular matrix, thereby contributing to the development of vascular lesions and the pathophysiology of such vascular diseases as atherosclerosis. However, the expression of PARs in the smooth muscle of normal arteries is limited. The upregulation of PARs in the smooth muscle is thus considered to be a key step for PARs to participate in the pathogenesis of vascular lesions. Elucidating the molecular mechanism regulating the PARs expression is therefore important to develop new strategies for the prevention and treatment of vascular diseases.