Small-world connectivity dictates collective endothelial cell signaling

Abstract

SignificanceThe endothelium is the single layer of cells lining all blood vessels and acts as a central control hub to regulate multiple cardiovascular functions in response to hundreds of physiological stimuli. The detection of various physiological stimuli is distributed in spatially separated sites across the endothelium. Distributed sensing is difficult to reconcile with the requirement for coordinated cell activity across large regions of the endothelium. Here, we show that the endothelium resolves the issue by using a network with scale-free and small-world properties. The organization confers a high signal-propagation speed and a high degree of synchronizability across the endothelium. The network organization also explains the robust nature of endothelial communication and its resistance to damage or failure.