Thermo‐tone: A newly revealed mechanism of blood flow regulation

Myogenic tone enables dynamic control of tissue blood flow. This intrinsic property of vascular smooth muscle cells to sense stretch and reflexively adjust the calibre of small arteries is crucial to maintain capillary pressure and a blood flow reserve. For over 120 years blood pressure was considered the sole determinant of myogenic tone. Our recent research reveals an equal, critical role for temperature. This property, termed 'thermo-tone', renders the tone of arteries strictly heat dependent with thermosensitivities tuned close to resting tissue temperatures (25-37°C). Here, we discuss the underlying signalling mechanisms and the potential role for thermo-tone in the homeostatic regulation of blood flow.