Normal cardiovascular function requires the concerted action of many cell types, each capable of adaptive gene expression in response to developmental, physiological, and pathological cues. The genetic basis of cardiovascular function, development, and disease is an area of intense investigation, in the hope of significant insights into the heart and vessels' basic workings and improvements in diagnosis and therapy. This volume in the "Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology" series presents a remarkable survey of contemporary progress in these efforts, through the contributions of over 50 of the world's leading investigators. Sections are devoted to angiogenesis, cardiogenesis, homeostasis, development, vascular biology, and cardiovascular repair and therapy. The book offers a useful source of ideas, discoveries, and references for clinical scientists and physicians interested in basic cardiac biology, hypertension, atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, and heart failure.