Endothelial struts enable the generation of large lumenized blood vessels de novo.

ABSTRACT: De novo blood vessel formation occurs through coalescence of endothelial cells (ECs) into a cord-like structure, followed by lumenization either through cell-^1-3 or cord-hollowing^4-7. Vessels generated in this manner are restricted in diameter to one or two ECs, and these models fail to explain how vasculogenesis can form large-diameter vessels. Here, we describe a model for large vessel formation that does not require a cord-like structure or a hollowing step. In this model, ECs coalesce into a network of struts in the future lumen of the vessel, a process dependent upon bone morphogenetic protein signalling. The vessel wall forms around this network and consists initially of only a few patches of ECs. To withstand external forces and to maintain the shape of the ves

SUBMITTER: Weijts B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8500358 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature