Regulation of lymphangiogenesis in the diaphragm by macrophages and VEGFR-3 signaling.

ABSTRACT: Lymphatic vessels play important roles in fluid drainage and in immune responses, as well as in pathological processes including cancer progression and inflammation. While the molecular regulation of the earliest lymphatic vessel differentiation and development has been investigated in much detail, less is known about the control and timing of lymphatic vessel maturation in different organs, which often occurs postnatally. We investigated the time course of lymphatic vessel development on the pleural side of the diaphragmatic muscle in mice, the so-called submesothelial initial diaphragmatic lymphatic plexus. We found that this lymphatic network develops largely after birth and that it can serve as a reliable and easily quantifiable model to study physiological lymphangiogenesis in vivo. L

SUBMITTER: Ochsenbein AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5026726 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature