PAR-2 Modulation of Nerve-Evoked Increases in Tone in Isolated Resistance Arteries

The sympathetic nervous system regulates arterial diameter and thus blood flow and blood pressure. Protease-activated receptors (PARs) are a novel class of G-protein coupled receptors activated by protealytic cleavage of the extracellular domain to reveal a tethered ligand. Four sub-types of PARs have been identified, of which PAR-1 and PAR-2 are expressed in the vasculature.