Role of Store-Operated Ca(2+) Entry in the Pulmonary Vascular Remodeling Occurring in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a severe and multifactorial disease. PAH pathogenesis mostly involves pulmonary arterial endothelial and pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cell (PASMC) dysfunction, leading to alterations in pulmonary arterial tone and distal pulmonary vessel obstruction and remodeling. Unfortunately, current PAH therapies are not curative, and therapeutic approaches mostly target endothelial dysfunction, while PASMC dysfunction is under investigation. In PAH, modifications in intracellular Ca(2+) homoeostasis could partly explain PASMC dysfunction. One of the most crucial actors regulating Ca(2+) homeostasis is store-operated Ca(2+) channels, which mediate store-operated Ca(2+) entry (SOCE). This review focuses on the main actors of SOCE in human and experimental PASMC, their contribution to PAH pathogenesis, and their therapeutic potential in PAH.