title: Vascular structure, smooth muscle cell phenotype and growth in hypertension.
abstract: The media of most blood vessels is occupied by vascular smooth muscle cells. In areas they may be replaced by glomus cells, pericytes or renin-secreting myoepithelioid cells. These cells may be regarded as phenotypic variants of vascular smooth muscle cells. In disease, ordinary vascular smooth muscle cells may also assume a spectrum of phenotypes ranging from contractile to largely secretory types. Therefore, the phenotype of smooth muscle cells that is involved in a disease process such as hypertension or one of its complications is likely to affect the structural outcome in blood vessels.
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001158:Arteries / Q000473:pathology; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002455:Cell Division; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D010641:Phenotype; D011003:Ploidies; D014661:Vasoconstriction