Chemokine-guided angiogenesis directs coronary vasculature formation in zebrafish.

ABSTRACT: Interruption of the coronary blood supply severely impairs heart function with often fatal consequences for patients. However, the formation and maturation of these coronary vessels is not fully understood. Here we provide a detailed analysis of coronary vessel development in zebrafish. We observe that coronary vessels form in zebrafish by angiogenic sprouting of arterial cells derived from the endocardium at the atrioventricular canal. Endothelial cells express the CXC-motif chemokine receptor Cxcr4a and migrate to vascularize the ventricle under the guidance of the myocardium-expressed ligand Cxcl12b. cxcr4a mutant zebrafish fail to form a vascular network, whereas ectopic expression of Cxcl12b ligand induces coronary vessel formation. Importantly, cxcr4a mutant zebrafish fail to undergo

SUBMITTER: Harrison MR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4448080 | biostudies-literature | 2015 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature