title: Endothelial dysfunction as a nexus for endothelial cell-cardiomyocyte miscommunication.
abstract: Most studies of the heart focus on cardiomyocytes (CM) at the exclusion of other cell types such as myocardial endothelial cells (EC). Such mono-cellular approaches propagate the presumption that EC provide a mere "passive lining" or supportive role. In fact, EC contribute to a dynamic network regulating vascular tone, cardiac development, and repair. Two distinct EC types, vascular EC and epicardial EC, possess important structural and signaling properties within both the healthy and diseased myocardium. In this review, we address EC-CM interactions in mature, healthy myocardium, followed by a discussion of diseases characterized by EC dysfunction. Finally, we consider strategies to reverse EC-CM "miscommunication" to improve patients' outcomes in various cardiovascular diseases.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Thorsten M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Leucker
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine - Cardiovascular, Institute of Molecular Cardiology, and Diabetes and Obesity Center, School of Medicine, University of Louisville Louisville, KY, USA.
authors.forename: Steven P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Jones
keywords: cardiomyocyte; cardiovascular disease; endothelial function; juxtacrine communication; paracrine factors