['Nuclear factor of activated T-cells 5 (NFAT5) has recently been described to control the phenotype of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Although an increase in wall stress or stretch (eg, elicited by hypertension) is a prototypic determinant of VSMC activation, the impact of this biomechanical force on the activity of NFAT5 is unknown. This study intended to reveal the function of NFAT5 and to explore potential signal transduction pathways leading to its activation in stretch-stimulated VSMCs.', 'Human arterial VSMCs were exposed to biomechanical stretch and subjected to immunofluorescence and protein-biochemical analyses. Stretch promoted the translocation of NFAT5 to the nucleus within 24 hours. While the protein abundance of NFAT5 was regulated through activation of c-Jun N-terminal kinase under these conditions, its translocation required prior activation of palmitoyltransferases. DNA microarray and ChiP analyses identified the matrix molecule tenascin-C as a prominent transcriptional target of NFAT5 under these conditions that stimulates migration of VSMCs. Analyses of isolated mouse femoral arteries exposed to hypertensive perfusion conditions verified that NFAT5 translocation to the nucleus is followed by an increase in tenascin-C abundance in the vessel wall.'] Does arterial wall stress control NFAT5 activity in vascular smooth muscle cells?