How one receptor can help—or hurt—your blood vessels

Researchers at the University of California San Diego have uncovered how a single protein triggers two opposite responses in blood vessels—one inflammatory and one protective. This protein, a cell-surface receptor called protease-activated receptor-1 (PAR1), plays a critical role in maintaining the structural integrity of our blood vessels. Understanding how PAR1 switches between healing and harmful signaling pathways could pave the way for new treatments for conditions marked by vascular inflammation and leakage, including sepsis, heart attack and stroke.