The vasculature is a body-wide organ responsible for mass and energy transport throughout the body. In broad terms, all vessels consist of a layer of endothelial cells, which act as the interface with blood, pericytes, which modulate their function, and in the case of resistance arteries and larger vessels, additional layers of smooth muscle cells, which modulate vascular tone. Dynamic regulation of vascular function in response to biological and physiological cues is a vital process in both health and disease. These responses as well as their synchronization along vessels are critically dependent upon communication between vascular cells, which utilizes a plethora of direct cell-to-cell, paracrine, and autocrine mechanisms. Here, we review these mechanisms, focusing especially on endothelial cells, the structural and molecular underpinnings thereof, and the mechanisms by which they are regulated.
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