The Physiological Genomics of the Critically Ill Mouse

The physiological genomics of the cardiovascular system studies the relationship between gene and physiological (dys)function. It is a rapidly developing area of research and distinguishes itself from other areas of molecular medicine by its highly integrative nature. In this multi­ disciplinarian area of the physiological sciences, there is interaction between gene structure and physiological cardiovascular function as well as interactions between the different organs and their physiological compartments. The mouse has played a central role in the study of genomics due to the detailed knowledge of the mouse genome and the wide availability of genetically modified mice. In the past, the mouse had mainly been used in the area of immunology and molecular biology, and physiological interest in the mouse was scarce. As more insight has come into the structural genomics of the mouse, however, it has become increasingly important to understand the relation between gene and physiological function. With this in mind we have been organizing the Amsterdam Mouse Symposia to bring together different disciplines interested in the molecular basis of cardiovascular function (see J. of Clinical and Exp. Pharmacology and rd Physiology (2002) 29:A69-AI02 for the proceedings of the 3 Amsterdam Mouse Symposium and Basic Research in Cardiology (2000) 95:492-535 for nd the proceedings of the 2 symposium).