Physiology in perspective: cell-cell interactions: the physiological basis of communication.

Abstract

prompting the discipline of high-altitude physiology. He built the first human decompression chamber and studied the effects of rarified air and hypoxia on humans. He showed how the lung could function as a gas exchanger in the absence of its movement. As curator of the Royal Society for 40 years, he was involved in an enormous number of new findings. His own inventions include the balance spring in a pocket watch, the wheel barometer, and the universal joint. He was a mathematical and engineering genius and formulated the law of elasticity that states that strain is proportional to stress. He was a gifted architect who was heavily involved with rebuilding London after the Great Fire of 1666. His collection of microscopic observations, Micrographia, remains a classic. And yet few of us recognize Hooke’s name. In his review (6), John West gives this polymath the credit he deserves for his many inventions and ideas. Blood vessels carry oxygen and nutrients to all organs and tissues in the body. When the vessels do not form or function properly, disruptions that can contribute to a vast array of diseases occur in normal physiology. Thus understanding how the cells of the vasculature communicate with each other is fundamentally important in both health and disease. Formation and function of blood vessels relies on proper communication between the endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells. These interactions dictate how, when, and where blood vessels form and control their physiological responses to manage blood flow. In her review (3), Lilly highlights the pathways by which endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells communicate during blood vessel formation and discusses how disruptions in these pathways contribute to disease. The cells of the vasculature utilize multiple signaling pathways to communicate. They employ secreted molecules to regulate cell recruitment and proliferation, and engage