REVIEW

VEGF and Vascular Fusion: Implications for Normal and Pathological Vessels

Correspondence to: Charles D. Little, Dept of Cell Biology, BSB626, Medical Univ of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Ave., Charleston, SC 29425.

The avian embryo is well suited for the study of blood vessel morphogenesis. This is especially true of investigations that focus on the de novo formation of blood vessels from mesoderm, a process referred to as vasculogenesis. To examine the cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating vasculogenesis, we developed a bioassay that employs intact avian embryos. Among the many bioactive molecules we have examined, vascular epithelial growth factor (VEGF) stands out for its ability to affect vasculogenesis. Using the whole-embryo assay, we discovered that VEGF induces a vascular malformation we refer to as hyperfusion. Our studies showed that microinjection of recombinant VEGF165 converted the normally discrete network of embryonic blood vessels into enlarged endothelial sinuses. Depending on the amount of VEGF injected and the time of postinjection incubation, the misbehavior of the primordial endothelial cells can become so exaggerated that for all practical purposes the embryo contains a single enormous vascular sinus; all normal vessels are subsumed into a composite vascular structure. This morphology is reminiscent of the abnormal vascular sinuses characteristic of certain neovascular pathologies. (J Histochem Cytochem 47:1351–1355, 1999)

Key Words: vasculogenesis, vascular fusion, VEGF, vascular hyperfusion

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				P. A. Rupp, R. P. Visconti, A. Czirok, D. A. Cheresh, and C. D. Little Matrix Metalloproteinase 2-Integrin {alpha}v{beta}3 Binding Is Required for Mesenchymal Cell Invasive Activity but Not Epithelial Locomotion: A Computational Time-Lapse Study Mol. Biol. Cell, December 1, 2008; 19(12): 5529 - 5540. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. A. Purpura, S. H.L. George, S. M. Dang, K. Choi, A. Nagy, and P. W. Zandstra Soluble Flt-1 Regulates Flk-1 Activation to Control Hematopoietic and Endothelial Development in an Oxygen-Responsive Manner Stem Cells, November 1, 2008; 26(11): 2832 - 2842. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				N. M.S. van den Akker, V. Caolo, L. J. Wisse, P. P.W.M. Peters, R. E. Poelmann, P. Carmeliet, D. G.M. Molin, and A. C. Gittenberger-de Groot Developmental coronary maturation is disturbed by aberrant cardiac vascular endothelial growth factor expression and Notch signalling Cardiovasc Res, May 1, 2008; 78(2): 366 - 375. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. T. Holderfield and C. C.W. Hughes Crosstalk Between Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor, Notch, and Transforming Growth Factor-{beta} in Vascular Morphogenesis Circ. Res., March 28, 2008; 102(6): 637 - 652. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. E. Davis and D. R. Senger Endothelial Extracellular Matrix: Biosynthesis, Remodeling, and Functions During Vascular Morphogenesis and Neovessel Stabilization Circ. Res., November 25, 2005; 97(11): 1093 - 1107. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Y. LIU and D. R. SENGER Matrix-specific activation of Src and Rho initiates capillary morphogenesis of endothelial cells FASEB J, March 1, 2004; 18(3): 457 - 468. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. V. Hoang, M. C. Whelan, and D. R. Senger Rho activity critically and selectively regulates endothelial cell organization during angiogenesis PNAS, February 17, 2004; 101(7): 1874 - 1879. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M. C. Whelan and D. R. Senger Collagen I Initiates Endothelial Cell Morphogenesis by Inducing Actin Polymerization through Suppression of Cyclic AMP and Protein Kinase A J. Biol. Chem., January 3, 2003; 278(1): 327 - 334. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. Ren, L. H. Michael, M. L. Entman, and N. G. Frangogiannis Morphological Characteristics of the Microvasculature in Healing Myocardial Infarcts J. Histochem. Cytochem., January 1, 2002; 50(1): 71 - 80. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				X. Yue and R. J. Tomanek Effects of VEGF165 and VEGF121 on vasculogenesis and angiogenesis in cultured embryonic quail hearts Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, May 1, 2001; 280(5): H2240 - H2247. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. J. Drake and P. A. Fleming Vasculogenesis in the day 6.5 to 9.5 mouse embryo Blood, March 1, 2000; 95(5): 1671 - 1679. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Guidelines | Subscriptions | About | exPRESS - Current - Archive | Business Information | Contact

The Journal of Histochemistry & Cytochemistry is owned, published, and licensed by The Histochemical Society © 1999