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(Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 2006;26:1431.)
© 2006 American Heart Association, Inc.

Brief Reviews

The Multiple Languages of Endothelial Cell-to-Cell Communication

Stefan Liebner; Ugo Cavallaro; Elisabetta Dejana

From FIRC Institute of Molecular Oncology (U.C., E.D.) and Department of Biomolecular and Biotechnological Sciences (E.D.), School of Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy; the Mario Negri Institute of Pharmacological Research (E.D.), Milan Italy; and the Institute of Neurology, Medical School (S.L.), University of Frankfurt/Main, Germany.

Correspondence to Elisabetta Dejana, IFOM, Via Adamello 16, 20139 Milan, Italy. E-mail elisabetta.dejana{at}ifom-ieo-campus.it

Series Editor: Stephanie Dimmeler
Novel Mediators and Mechanisms in Angiogenesis and Vasculogenesis
ATVB In Focus

Previous Brief Reviews in this Series:

•Ferguson JE III, Kelley RW, Patterson C. Mechanisms of endothelial differentiation in embryonic vasculogenesis. 2005;25:2245–2254.
•Werner N, Nickenig G. Influence of cardiovascular risk factors on endothelial progenitor cells: limitations for therapy? 2006;26:257–266.
•van Hinsbergh VWM, Engelse MA, Quax PHA. Pericellular proteases in angiogenesis and vasculogenesis. 2006;26:716–728.
•Sata M. Role of circulating vascular progenitors in angiogenesis, vascular healing, and pulmonary hypertension: lessons from animal models. 2006;26:1008–1014.

Intercellular adhesion plays a key role during development and maintenance of tissue homeostasis. Within the vascular system, cell–cell adhesion is particularly important for the correct formation, networking, and remodeling of vessels. Although in vascular endothelial cells adhesive junctions account for the integrity of the vessel wall, they are not to be considered as static molecular structures that function as intercellular glue. This becomes evident during the remodeling of the endothelium in various physiological and pathological processes, requiring highly dynamic vascular adhesion complexes. Moreover, it has recently become evident that, besides their structural functions, adhesion molecules involved in endothelial cell–cell interaction play an important role in inducing and integrating intracellular signals that, in turn, impact on several aspects of vascular cell physiology. In this review, we describe these recent findings focusing on junctional proteins at adherens and tight junctions. The role of this adhesion molecule-mediated signaling is discussed in the context of developmental and pathological angiogenesis.

Excess NO causes apoptosis through the ER stress pathway in some types of cells. It was found that the ER stress pathway is activated by various stresses, and when stresses are severe, apoptosis is induced. The NO-induced ER stress pathway may be involved in pathogenesis of various vascular diseases.

Key Words: adhesion • endothelial cells • junction proteins

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