Cell–cell signaling in blood vessel development and function

Abstract The blood vasculature is an organ pervading all other organs (almost). During vascular development, cell–cell signaling by extracellular ligands and cell surface receptors ensure that new vessels sprout into non‐vascularized regions and simultaneously acquire organ‐specific specializations...

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Main Author: Christer Betsholtz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Springer Nature 2018-01-01
Series:EMBO Molecular Medicine
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.15252/emmm.201708610
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author Christer Betsholtz
author_facet Christer Betsholtz
author_sort Christer Betsholtz
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The blood vasculature is an organ pervading all other organs (almost). During vascular development, cell–cell signaling by extracellular ligands and cell surface receptors ensure that new vessels sprout into non‐vascularized regions and simultaneously acquire organ‐specific specializations and adaptations that match the local physiological needs. The vessels thereby specialize in their permeability, molecular transport between blood and tissue, and ability to regulate blood flow on demand. Over the past decades, we have learnt about the generic cell–cell signaling mechanisms governing angiogenic sprouting, mural cell recruitment, and vascular remodeling, and we have obtained the first insights into signals that induce and maintain vascular organotypicity. However, intra‐organ vascular diversity and arterio‐venous hierarchies complicate the molecular characterization of the vasculature's cellular building blocks. Single‐cell RNA sequencing provides a way forward, as it allows elucidation at a genome‐wide and quantitative level of the transcriptional diversity occurring within the same cell types at different anatomical positions and levels of arterio‐venous hierarchy in the organs. In this Louis‐Jeantet Prize Winner: Commentary, I give a brief overview of vascular development and how recent advances in the field pave the way for more systematic efforts to explore vascular functions in health and disease.
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spelling doaj-art-0f02743912da4a0db2e56101d4978fd32025-08-20T03:06:00ZengSpringer NatureEMBO Molecular Medicine1757-46761757-46842018-01-011031410.15252/emmm.201708610Cell–cell signaling in blood vessel development and functionChrister Betsholtz0Karolinska Institutet/AstraZeneca Integrated Cardio Metabolic Centre (KI/AZ ICMC)Abstract The blood vasculature is an organ pervading all other organs (almost). During vascular development, cell–cell signaling by extracellular ligands and cell surface receptors ensure that new vessels sprout into non‐vascularized regions and simultaneously acquire organ‐specific specializations and adaptations that match the local physiological needs. The vessels thereby specialize in their permeability, molecular transport between blood and tissue, and ability to regulate blood flow on demand. Over the past decades, we have learnt about the generic cell–cell signaling mechanisms governing angiogenic sprouting, mural cell recruitment, and vascular remodeling, and we have obtained the first insights into signals that induce and maintain vascular organotypicity. However, intra‐organ vascular diversity and arterio‐venous hierarchies complicate the molecular characterization of the vasculature's cellular building blocks. Single‐cell RNA sequencing provides a way forward, as it allows elucidation at a genome‐wide and quantitative level of the transcriptional diversity occurring within the same cell types at different anatomical positions and levels of arterio‐venous hierarchy in the organs. In this Louis‐Jeantet Prize Winner: Commentary, I give a brief overview of vascular development and how recent advances in the field pave the way for more systematic efforts to explore vascular functions in health and disease.https://doi.org/10.15252/emmm.201708610
spellingShingle Christer Betsholtz
Cell–cell signaling in blood vessel development and function
EMBO Molecular Medicine
title Cell–cell signaling in blood vessel development and function
title_full Cell–cell signaling in blood vessel development and function
title_fullStr Cell–cell signaling in blood vessel development and function
title_full_unstemmed Cell–cell signaling in blood vessel development and function
title_short Cell–cell signaling in blood vessel development and function
title_sort cell cell signaling in blood vessel development and function
url https://doi.org/10.15252/emmm.201708610
work_keys_str_mv AT christerbetsholtz cellcellsignalinginbloodvesseldevelopmentandfunction