title: Putting together the clues of the everlasting neuro-cardiac liaison.
abstract: Starting from the late embryonic development, the sympathetic nervous system extensively innervates the heart and modulates its activity during the entire lifespan. The distribution of myocardial sympathetic processes is finely regulated by the secretion of limiting amounts of pro-survival neurotrophic factors by cardiac cells. Norepinephrine release by the neurons rapidly modulates myocardial electrophysiology, and increases the rate and force of cardiomyocyte contractions. Sympathetic processes establish direct interaction with cardiomyocytes, characterized by the presence of neurotransmitter vesicles and reduced cell-cell distance. Whether such contacts have a functional role in both neurotrophin- and catecholamine-dependent communication between the two cell types, is poorly understood. In this review we will address the effects of the sympathetic neuron activity on the myocardium and the hypothesis that the direct neuro-cardiac contact might have a key role both in norepinephrine and neurotrophin mediated signaling. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Cardiomyocyte Biology: Integration of Developmental and Environmental Cues in the Heart edited by Marcus Schaub and Hughes Abriel.
authors.affiliation: Venetian Institute of Molecular Medicine, via Orus 2, Padova, Italy; Neuroscience Institute, CNR, Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Franzoso
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, via Ugo Bassi 58, Padova, Italy; Venetian Institute of Molecular Medicine, via Orus 2, Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: Tania
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zaglia
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Padova, via Ugo Bassi 58, Padova, Italy; Venetian Institute of Molecular Medicine, via Orus 2, Padova, Italy; Neuroscience Institute, CNR, Padova, Italy. Electronic address: marco.mongillo@unipd.it.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mongillo
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials; D059331:Adrenergic Neurons / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D006321:Heart / Q000294:innervation*; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D009200:Myocardial Contraction; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D020932:Nerve Growth Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D009469:Neuromuscular Junction / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000378:metabolism; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000196:embryology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D020932:Nerve Growth Factor; D009638:Norepinephrine
keywords: Adrenergic; Autonomic nervous system; Heart; NGF; Neuromuscular junction; Sympathetic neurons