Hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV) is a physiological mechanism by which the pulmonary arteries redirect blood flow from a low oxygen area of the lungs to a region that is oxygen rich.
In a study published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Wolfgang Kuebler and colleages at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto elucidated the molecular mechanisms involved in HPV. In mice, they found that HPV required the gap junction protein connexin 40 and originated with oxygen-sensing in the alveolar capillaries. The low-oxygen signal was then propagated to lung arterioles in a connexin 40-dependent manner.
This study identifies connexin 40 as a potential target in the treatment of chronic hypoxic lung disease.
In a companion commentary, Jahar Bhattacharya of Columbia University discusses how this research alters our current understanding of HPV.
TITLE: Hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction requires connexin 40-mediated endothelial signal conduction ACCOMPANYING COMMENTARY: Lung capillaries raise the hypoxia alarm