Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SAVE (Shear Stress Induced Arterial and Venous Specification through Piezo1)
Reporting period: 2018-07-01 to 2020-06-30
The overall objectives of this SAVE research proposal are:
1) Show that Piezo1 activation by shear stress leads to calcium signal that activates Notch signalling.
2) Demonstrate that Piezo1 mediates arterial-venous differentiation by activating Notch signalling in response to haemodynamic forces generated by the passage of blood flow i.e. shear stress.
3) Demonstrate that ablation of Piezo1 results in AVM development due to impairment of Notch signalling activation.
In order to exploit and disseminate the results of this research, the experienced researcher (ER), Dr Caolo has presented her data in scientific conferences such as the “Cardio Metabolic Retreat” held in Ullswater (England, UK). The ER also regularly attended the weekly department seminars organized at LICAMM.
As mentioned above, the data obtained with the execution of the SAVE fellowship have been successfully published in Elife scientific journal.
In order to generate possible media interest in outreach journals and local newspapers, Dr Caolo communicated the research outcome through the LICAMM press office. The publication of this work was also mentioned on the LICAMM eNewsletter and Leeds School of Medicine twitter account, and on Vincenza’s twitter and Linkedin accounts.
These new findings will definitely help to develop new strategies and diagnostic tools to prevent and/or reverse pathological arterial venous specification and remodelling. Also, the optimisation of the protocols used during this research project could be employed in the future for other vascular research applications.