Cardiovascular Gap Junctions

In recent years, gap junction research in the cardiovascular system has considerably improved the understanding of cardiac function and the vasculature in health and disease. The present book focuses on the communication of intercellular gap junctions in the cardiovascular system but also includes aspects of physiology, medicine and cell biology. The first part of this volume highlights the principal aspects of these intercellular channels, allowing the readers unfamiliar with the field to get a deeper understanding of the physiology, pharmacology and regulation of gap junctions. The second part elucidates their role in the pathophysiology of important cardiovascular diseases, e.g. arrhythmia, heart failure, ischemia, atrial fibrillation, diabetes and arteriosclerosis. This book is of special interest to cardiologists, physiologists, pharmacologists, cardiovascular scientists, biophysicists, cell biologists as well as to industrial companies engaged in cardiovascular medicine and research.

Preface; Cardiac Connexins: Genes to Nexus: Duffy, H.S.; Fort, A.G.; Spray, D.C.; Physiology of Cardiovascular Gap Junctions: van Veen, T.A.B.; van Rijen, H.V.M.; Jongsma, H.J.; Role of Connexin43-Interacting Proteins at Gap Junctions: Giepmans, B.N.G.; Life Cycle of Connexins: Regulation of Connexin Synthesis and Degradation: Salameh, A.; Gap Junctions and Propagation of the Cardiac Action Potential: Bernstein, S.A.; Morley, G.E.; Micropatterns of Propagation: Lee, P.J.; Pogwizd, S.M.; Pharmacology of Cardiovascular Gap Junctions: Herve, J.-C.; Dhein, S.; Structural and Functional Coupling of Cardiac Myocytes and Fibroblasts: Camelliti, P.; Green, C.R.; Kohl, P.; Connexins and Cardiac Arrhythmias: van Rijen, H.V.M.; van Veen, T.A.B.; Gros, D.; Wilders, R.; de Bakker, J.M.T.; Role of Connexins in Atrial Fibrillation: Dhein, S.; Connexins in the Sinoatrial and Atrioventricular Nodes: Boyett, M.R.; Inada, S.; Yoo, S.; Li, J.; Liu, J.; Tellez, J.; Greener, I.D.; Honjo, H.; Billeter, R.; Lei, M.; Zhang, H.; Efimov, I.R.; Dobrzynski, H.; Cardiac Ischemia and Uncoupling: Gap Junctions in Ischemia and Infarction: Dhein, S.; Connexin43 and Ischemic Preconditioning: Schulz, R.; Heusch, G.; Alterations in Cardiac Connexin Expression in Cardiomyopathies: Severs, N.J.; Dupont, E.; Thomas, N.; Kaba, R.; Rothery, S.; Jain, R.; Sharpey, K.; Fry, C.H.; Alterations of Connexin 43 in the Diabetic Rat Heart: Lin, H.; Ogawa, K.; Imanaga, I.; Tribulova, N.; Connexins in Atherosclerosis: Chadjichristos, C.E.; Derouette, J.-P.; Kwak, B.R.; Connexin-Dependent Communication within the Vascular Wall: Contribution to the Control of Arteriolar Diameter: de Wit, C.; Wolfle, S.E.; Hopfl, B.; Cx40 Polymorphism in Human Atrial Fibrillation: Hauer, R.N.W.; Groenewegen, W.A.; Firouzi, M.; Ramanna, H.; Jongsma, H.J.; Author Index; Subject Index.