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(Circulation Research. 2001;88:127.)
© 2001 American Heart Association, Inc.

Editorials

Transcriptional Regulation of Vascular Development

Thomas N. Sato

From The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, Tex.

Correspondence to Thomas N. Sato, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, NB11.200, Dallas, TX 75390-8573. E-mail island1005@aol.com

Key Words: vascular development\b • angiogenesis • Tie2 gene • gene expression

	Introduction

 
Formation of the vascular system is a landmark event during development. Normal development and function of virtually all organs rely on the feeding and gas exchanges mediated by the vascular system. Although the establishment of the vascular system requires a complex developmental process involving multiple cell types, the initial formation of the rudimentary vascular network is primarily accomplished by a single cell type, endothelial cells.

Endothelial cells originate from an embryonic mesoderm during the initial phase of the vascular development.¹ However, very little is known regarding the control mechanisms underlying the specification of endothelial cells. The overview of the endothelial cell specification during development is shown in the Figure. A subset of mesodermal cells differentiates to a bipotential stem cell called a hemangioblast, which differentiates to either hematopoietic or endothelial cell lineages. Endothelial cells then assemble together to form a rudimentary vascular network, referred to as the primary capillary plexus.¹ The primary capillary plexus is characterized by its uniform and relatively simple network pattern consisting of a honeycomb-like vessel branching pattern. However, it has recently become evident that the primary capillary plexus is made of at least two distinct types of endothelial cells: arterial and venous endothelial cells.^{2 3} An arterial endothelial cell type is characterized by its specific expression of ephrin-B2 and a venous type expresses specifically EphB4.^{2 3} Although we know the presence of these two types of endothelial cells at this initial stage of the vessel formation, an origin of the arterial and venous endothelial types remains unknown. . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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