In vitro pre-vascularization is one of the main vascularization strategies in the tissue engineering field. Culturing cells within a tissue-engineered construct (TEC) prior to implantation provides researchers with a greater degree of control over the fate of the cells. However, balancing the diverse range of different cell culture parameters in vitro is seldom easy and in most cases, especially in highly vascularized tissues, more than one cell type will reside within the cell culture system. Culturing multiple cell types in the same construct presents its own unique challenges and pitfalls. The following review examines endothelial-driven vascularization and evaluates the direct and indirect role other cell types have in vessel and capillary formation. The article then analyses the different parameters researchers can modulate in a co-culture system in order to design optimal tissue-engineered constructs to match desired clinical applications.

Summary Optical slice microscopy is commonly used to characterize the morphometric features of 3D cellular cultures, such as in vitro vascularization. However, the quantitative analysis of those structures is often performed on a single 2D maximum intensity projection image, limiting the accuracy of data obtained from 3D cultures. Here, we present a protocol for the quantitative analysis of z stack images, utilizing Fiji, Amira, and WinFiber3D. This protocol facilitates the in-depth examination of vascular-like structures within 3D cell culture models. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Koch et al. (2020) .

The yeast Pichia pastoris has become the most favored eukaryotic host for heterologous protein expression. P. pastoris strains capable of overexpressing various membrane proteins are now available. Due to their small size and the fungal cell wall, however, P. pastoris cells are hardly suitable for direct electrophysiological studies. To overcome these limitations, the present study aimed to produce giant protoplasts of P. pastoris by means of multi-cell electrofusion. Using a P. pastoris strain expressing channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2), we first developed an improved enzymatic method for cell wall digestion and preparation of wall-less protoplasts. We thoroughly analyzed the dielectric properties of protoplasts by means of electrorotation and dielectrophoresis. Based on the dielectric data of tiny parental protoplasts (2-4 μm diameter), we elaborated efficient electrofusion conditions yielding consistently stable multinucleated protoplasts of P. pastoris with diameters of up to 35 μm. The giant protoplasts were suitable for electrophysiological measurements, as proved by whole-cell patch clamp recordings of light-induced, ChR2-mediated currents, which was impossible with parental protoplasts. The approach presented here offers a potentially valuable technique for the functional analysis of low-signal channels and transporters, expressed heterologously in P. pastoris and related host systems.