ACh	Acetylcholine
AChR	Acetylcholine receptor
AMP	Adenosine monophosphate
ANP	Atrial natriuretic peptide
BNP	Brain natriuretic peptide
CAG	Cytomegalovirus early enhancer/chicken β-actin/β-globin
cAMP	Adenosine monophosphate
CF	Cardiac fibroblast
cGMP	Cyclic guanosine 3′,5′-monophosphate
CM	Cardiomyocyte
CNG	Cyclic nucleotide gated channels
CNP	C-type natriuretic peptide
DEA/NO	2-(N,N-dethylamino)-diazenolate-2-oxide dethylammonium salt
EC	Endothelial cell
ECFP	Enhanced cyan fluorescent protein
ECM	Extracellular matrix
EDRF	Endothelium derived relaxation factor
ELISA	Enzyme-linked immunoassay
eNOS	Endothelial NO synthase
EYFP	Enhanced yellow fluorescent protein
FRET	Förster resonance energy transfer
GC	Guanylyl cyclase
GMP	Guanosine monophosphate
GTP	Guanosine triphosphate
HUVEC	Human umbilical vein endothelial cell
IBMX	3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine
mAChR	Muscarinic acetylcholine receptor
iNOS	Inducible NO synthase
nAChR	Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor
NO	Nitric oxide
NOS	NO synthase
NP	Natriuretic peptide
PDE	Phosphodiesterase
pGC	Particulate guanylyl cyclase
PKG	cGMP-dependent protein kinase
PKG I	cGMP-dependent protein kinase type I
PKG II	cGMP-dependent protein kinase type II
RGD	Arg-Gly-Asp
sGC	Soluble guanylyl cyclase
VSMC	Vascular smooth muscle cell