The angiotensin II receptor type 1b is the primary sensor of intraluminal pressure in cerebral artery smooth muscle cells

Myogenic vasoconstriction, which reflects the intrinsic ability of smooth muscle cells to contract in response to increases in intraluminal pressure, is critically important for the autoregulation of blood flow. In SMC from cerebral arteries, increasing intraluminal pressure engages a signalling cascade that stimulates cation influx through transient receptor potential (TRP) melastatin 4 (TRPM4) channels to cause membrane depolarization and vasoconstriction. Substantial evidence indicates that the angiotensin II receptor type 1 (AT1R) is inherently mechanosensitive and initiates this signalling pathway. Rodents express two types of AT1R—AT1Ra and AT1Rb—and conflicting studies provide support for either isoform as the primary sensor of intraluminal pressure in peripheral arteries. We hypothesized that mechanical activation of AT1Ra increases TRPM4 currents to induce myogenic constriction of cerebral arteries. However, we found that development of myogenic tone was greater in arteries from AT1Raknockoutanimals compared with controls. In patch-clamp experiments using native cerebral arterial myocytes, membrane stretch-induced cation currents were blocked by the TRPM4 inhibitor 9-phenanthrol in both groups. Further, the AT1R blocker losartan (1 μm) diminished myogenic tone and blocked stretch-induced cation currents in cerebral arteries from both groups. Activation of AT1R with angiotensin II (30 nm) also increased TRPM4 currents in SMC and constricted cerebral arteries from both groups. Expression of AT1Rb mRNA was ∼30-fold greater than AT1Ra in cerebral arteries, and knockdown of AT1Rb selectively diminished myogenic constriction. We conclude that AT1Rb, acting upstream of TRPM4 channels, is the primary sensor of intraluminal pressure in cerebral artery smooth muscle cells.