ABSTRACT
Endothelial phenotypes display remarkable heterogeneity in structure and function,
in time and space, and in health and disease. As a biological trait, phenotypic heterogeneity
has evolutionary and proximate explanations. Here we introduce concepts of evolutionary
biology, evolutionary developmental biology, developmental plasticity, and homeostasis
toward understanding mechanisms of endothelial heterogeneity. We conclude that endothelial
heterogeneity arises from a complex interplay between the genome and the environment,
operating at both population and organismal levels across a broad spectrum of time.
Mismatch between the genome and/or epigenome and the environment is an important determinant
of human vascular disease.
KEYWORDS
Endothelial cells - heterogeneity - evolutionary biology - epigenomics
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William C AirdM.D.
Director, Center for Vascular Biology Research. Chief, Division of Molecular and Vascular
Medicine, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, 330 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215
eMail: waird@bidmc.harvard.edu
