Dynamic endothelial cell rearrangements drive developmental vessel regression

Patterning of functional blood vessel networks is achieved by pruning of superfluous connections. The cellular and molecular principles of vessel regression are poorly understood. Here we show that regression is mediated by dynamic and polarized migration of endothelial cells, representing anastomos...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PLoS biology 2015-04, Vol.13 (4), p.e1002125-e1002125
Main Authors: Franco, Claudio A, Jones, Martin L, Bernabeu, Miguel O, Geudens, Ilse, Mathivet, Thomas, Rosa, Andre, Lopes, Felicia M, Lima, Aida P, Ragab, Anan, Collins, Russell T, Phng, Li-Kun, Coveney, Peter V, Gerhardt, Holger
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Apoptosis
Blood vessels
Blood Vessels - cytology
Cell adhesion & migration
Cell interaction
Cell Polarity
Coronary vessels
Endothelium
Endothelium, Vascular - cytology
Grants
Identification and classification
Ligands
Medical research
Models, Biological
Physiological aspects
Proteins
Retina
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Summary:Patterning of functional blood vessel networks is achieved by pruning of superfluous connections. The cellular and molecular principles of vessel regression are poorly understood. Here we show that regression is mediated by dynamic and polarized migration of endothelial cells, representing anastomosis in reverse. Establishing and analyzing the first axial polarity map of all endothelial cells in a remodeling vascular network, we propose that balanced movement of cells maintains the primitive plexus under low shear conditions in a metastable dynamic state. We predict that flow-induced polarized migration of endothelial cells breaks symmetry and leads to stabilization of high flow/shear segments and regression of adjacent low flow/shear segments.
ISSN:1545-7885
1544-9173
1545-7885
DOI:10.1371/journal.pbio.1002125