Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms of Vascular Development

Abstract

Blood vessels form an extensive organ system that enables gas exchange, delivers nutrients and removes waste products from tissues and is, therefore, essential for vertebrate life. Blood vessels additionally regulate leukocyte trafficking to support immune system function and transport endocrine hormones for the systemic regulation of physiological processes. During embryonic development, blood vessels also secrete cues that regulate the formation of other organs. To ensure that functional vasculature forms in the embryo, a large number of molecules regulate a wide range of cellular mechanisms that collectively act on the endothelial cells that form the inner lining of all blood vessels. These molecular and cellular mechanisms may be reactivated after birth to induce blood vessel growth that is beneficial by countering tissue ischemia or pathological if excessive or dysfunctional. Understanding developmental blood vessel growth, therefore, provides knowledge that may be used to develop new therapeutic strategies for a range of diseases. Key Concepts The circulatory system is the first organ to form during vertebrate embryogenesis and is required for the subsequent development of other organs. The circulatory system is the first organ to form during vertebrate embryogenesis. Proper blood vessel growth and remodeling is required for the subsequent development of other organs. Blood vessel development can be studied using the embryonic mouse hindbrain and perinatal mouse retina. Many molecular pathways synergise to regulate blood vessel growth. Elucidating the mechanisms of vascular development may advance novel therapies to treat vascular insufficiency in ischemic diseases.