Author:

Keywords:

Animals, Blood Vessels, Body Patterning, Cell Differentiation, Endothelial Growth Factors, Endothelium, Vascular, Humans, Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins, Lymphokines, Neovascularization, Physiologic, Nervous System, Nervous System Diseases, Nervous System Physiology, Signal Transduction, Vascular Diseases, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors, Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Genetics & Heredity, ENDOTHELIAL-GROWTH-FACTOR, ARTERIAL-VENOUS DIFFERENTIATION, NEURAL CREST, VASCULAR DEVELOPMENT, EPH RECEPTORS, STEM-CELLS, IN-VITRO, CARDIOVASCULAR-SYSTEM, DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY, NEUROTROPHIC FACTOR, Nervous System Physiological Phenomena, 0601 Biochemistry and Cell Biology, 0604 Genetics, 0607 Plant Biology, Developmental Biology, 3101 Biochemistry and cell biology, 3105 Genetics

Abstract:

Both blood vessels and nerves are vital channels to and from tissues. Recent genetic insights show that they have much more in common than was originally anticipated. They use similar signals and principles to differentiate, grow and navigate towards their targets. Moreover, the vascular and nervous systems cross-talk and, when dysregulated, this contributes to medically important diseases. The realization that both systems use common genetic pathways should not only form links between vascular biology and neuroscience, but also promises to accelerate the discovery of new mechanistic insights and therapeutic opportunities.