Macrophages define dermal lymphatic vessel calibre during development by regulating lymphatic endothelial cell proliferation.

ABSTRACT: Macrophages have been suggested to stimulate neo-lymphangiogenesis in settings of inflammation via two potential mechanisms: (1) acting as a source of lymphatic endothelial progenitor cells via the ability to transdifferentiate into lymphatic endothelial cells and be incorporated into growing lymphatic vessels; and (2) providing a crucial source of pro-lymphangiogenic growth factors and proteases. We set out to establish whether cells of the myeloid lineage are important for development of the lymphatic vasculature through either of these mechanisms. Here, we provide lineage tracing evidence to demonstrate that lymphatic endothelial cells arise independently of the myeloid lineage during both embryogenesis and tumour-stimulated lymphangiogenesis in the mouse, thus excluding macrophages as

SUBMITTER: Gordon EJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3049282 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature