CXCL12 and cardiac hypertrophy: In our study, we show for the first-time evidence implicating an important role of SMC derived CXCL12 for coronary artery development and maturation, progression of cardiac hypertrophy, and tissue homeostasis of M2 CD206 macrophages, advancing the understanding of CXCL12/CXCR4/CXCR7 biology in the cardiovascular system.