Baroreceptor Mechanotransduction: Diverse Sensors, Unified Signals

Arterial baroreceptors constitute the safeguard of cardiovascular homeostasis by translating vascular stretch into reflex control/ afferent firing. Recent advances have identified an unexpectedly diverse palette of candidate ion channels, including PIEZO1/2, TMEM150C, TRPV1, TRPC5 (transient receptor potential canonical 5), and epithelial sodium channels (ENaC), yet the molecular logic of their mechanosensory function remains unresolved. However, the field is mired in controversy: are PIEZOs truly indispensable barosensors, or do TRPs, ENaCs, and Tentonin3 provide parallel, context-dependent mechanotransduction? Equally contentious is the extent to which distinct baroreceptor morphologies, end-net versus flower-spray terminals, rapidly versus slowly adapting afferents, deploy specialized channel repertoires to encode dynamic versus steady-state pressure stimuli. Such heterogeneity challenges prevailing reductionist models and underscores baroreception as an emergent property of distributed molecular systems rather than a single-channel solution. Here, we critically appraise molecular, anatomic, and physiological evidence to advance an unifying framework in which baroreceptor diversity is both structural and functional, shaped by channel composition, terminal architecture, and afferent excitability.