Figure 3. Potential model for the role of VEGFR in the endothelial response to fluid shear stress.
Fluid shear stress activates mechanosensory complexes to affect endothelial activation and function. In one mechanosensory unit, platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1 (PECAM-1) transmits changes in endothelial cytoskeletal structure to VEGFR2 and VEGFR3, through vascular endothelial cadherin (VE-cadherin). VEGFR2 and VEGFR3 are then activated in a ligand-independent fashion to mediate intracellular signaling changes.