Lymphatic-to-blood Vessel Transition in Adult Microvascular Networks: A Discovery Made Possible by a Top-down Approach to Biomimetic Model Development

Overview

Journal Microcirculation

Specialties Biology
Cardiology & Vascular Diseases

Date 2019 Oct 5

PMID 31584728

Citations 9

Authors

Mohammad S Azimi

Jessica M Motherwell

Nicholas A Hodges

Garret R Rittenhouse

Dima Majbour

Stacey L Porvasnik

Christine E Schmidt

Walter L Murfee

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: Emerging areas of vascular biology focus on lymphatic/blood vessel mispatterning and the regulation of endothelial cell identity. However, a fundamental question remains unanswered: Can lymphatic vessels become blood vessels in adult tissues? Leveraging a novel tissue culture model, the objective of this study was to track lymphatic endothelial cell fate over the time course of adult microvascular network remodeling.

Methods: Cultured adult Wistar rat mesenteric tissues were labeled with BSI-lectin and time-lapse images were captured over five days of serum-stimulated remodeling. Additionally, rat mesenteric tissues on day 0 and day 3 and 5 post-culture were labeled for PECAM + LYVE-1 or PECAM + podoplanin.

Results: Cultured networks were characterized by increases in blood capillary sprouting, lymphatic sprouting, and the number of lymphatic/blood vessel connections. Comparison of images from the same network regions identified incorporation of lymphatic vessels into blood vessels. Mosaic lymphatic/blood vessels contained lymphatic marker positive and negative endothelial cells.

Conclusions: Our results reveal the ability for lymphatic vessels to transition into blood vessels in adult microvascular networks and discover a new paradigm for investigating lymphatic/blood endothelial cell dynamics during microvascular remodeling.

Citing Articles

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Lampejo A, Hu N, Lucas D, Lomel B, Nguyen C, Dominguez C Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2022; 10:912073.

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