The myoendothelial junction: connections that deliver the message.

Physiology (Bethesda)

Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia; and Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, Virginia

Published: July 2014

A vast amount of investigation has centered on how the endothelium and smooth muscle communicate. From this evidence, myoendothelial junctions have emerged as critical anatomical structures to regulate heterocellular cross talk. Indeed, there is now evidence that the myoendothelial junction serves as a signaling microdomain to organize proteins used to facilitate vascular heterocellular communication. This review highlights the evolving role of myoendothelial junctions in the context of vascular cell-cell communication.

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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4103062PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1152/physiol.00042.2013DOI Listing

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