Regulation of chondrocyte biosynthetic activity by dynamic hydrostatic pressure: the role of TRP channels.

Our findings indicate that TRPV1 may serve as a transducer of hydrostatic pressure in chondrocytes, and provide further support for the role of TRPV4 in regulating chondrocyte anabolism, as well as initial evidence implicating TRPC3 in chondrogenesis. These findings add to our further understanding of the chondrocyte "channelome" and suggest that a range of ion channels mediate the transduction of different biophysical stimuli such as hydrostatic pressure, membrane stretch, or osmotic stress.