Signaling in the Heart

Over the last decade, signal transduction pathways have been identified in normal cardiovascular growth processes, metabolic homeostasis, and in the development of the myocardium and vasculature. Alterations in discrete components of these signaling pathways are contributing factors in the development and progression of a broad spectrum of cardiovascular diseases ranging from myocardial disorders; including heart failure, arrhythmias to atherosclerosis, hypertension, diabetes and metabolic syndrome. Furthermore, signaling pathways play a fundamental role in the cardiovascular dysfunction associated with aging. Targeting these signaling pathways has been shown to be effective in preclinical studies and will likely have significant therapeutic impact in treating these disorders.This volume will focus both on the commonalities and the differences in signaling pathway elements in cardiovascular diseases.