Regulatory Mechanisms of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells and Immune Cells in Vascular Disease Progression
A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409). This special issue belongs to the section "Cells of the Cardiovascular System".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 127
Special Issue Editors
Interests: vascular smooth muscle cells; atherosclerosis; aneurysm; long non-coding RNAs; epigenetic regulation; vascular cell crosstalk; vascular immunology
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
We are pleased to invite you to contribute to our Special Issue on “Regulatory Mechanisms of Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells and Immune Cells in Vascular Disease Progression”. This issue is dedicated to advancing our understanding of how vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) and immune cells contribute to the pathogenesis and progression of vascular diseases, including atherosclerosis, aneurysms, vascular remodeling and restenosis, and other vascular pathologies. Understanding the mechanisms underlying these conditions is crucial for elucidating disease etiology and developing novel therapeutic strategies. VSMCs and immune cells are now well recognized as central modulators of vascular diseases. This Special Issue will highlight the latest insights into the molecular, cellular, and epigenetic mechanisms governing VSMC and immune cell function in vascular disease. We welcome original research articles, reviews, and perspectives covering, but not limited to, the following topics:
- Molecular mechanisms regulating VSMC phenotypes and functions in vascular disease;
- Novel methods to dissect the role of VSMC phenotype in vascular disease;
- Mechanism controlling immune cell function in vascular disease;
- Roles of cytokines, chemokines, and other signaling molecules in vascular inflammation;
- Crosstalk between smooth muscle cells, immune cells, and other vascular cell types;
- Epigenetic and transcriptional regulation of VSMCs and immune cells;
- Contributions of non-coding RNAs, GWAS variants and other molecular regulators;
- Translational insights and therapeutic opportunities targeting VSMCs and immune cells.
This Special Issue aims to provide a comprehensive platform for novel discoveries and critical insights that will advance the field and inspire innovative therapeutic approaches for vascular diseases.
We warmly look forward to your contributions.
Dr. Kunzhe Dong
Dr. Liming Yu
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cells is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- vascular smooth muscle cells
- immune cells
- inflammation
- vascular disease
- atherosclerosis
- aneurysm
- cellular crosstalk
- phenotypic transition
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