Hypoxia induces pulmonary artery smooth muscle dysfunction through mitochondrial fragmentation-mediated endoplasmic reticulum stress.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is characterized by pulmonary artery smooth muscle cell (PASMC) dysfunction. However, the underlying mechanisms of PASMC dysfunction remain largely unknown. Here, we show that mitochondrial fragmentation contributes to PASMC dysfunction through enhancement of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress.