The Evolving Role of Diverse Gaseous Transmitters Mediating Heterocellular Communication Within the Vasculature.

Heterocellular communication between different cell types of the vasculature, both within the blood vessel wall and cells interacting with the blood vessel wall, is absolutely vital and must be tightly regulated. In this Forum, the role of four different gaseous transmitters [nitric oxide [NO], carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and superoxide (O2•-)] is examined by four different research groups in detail, with two original articles and two reviews of the literature. In this editorial, we discuss how each of them may contribute their own component to heterocellular signaling in the vasculature. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 26, 881-885.