Vasculogenesis in infantile hemangioma

Infantile hemangioma is a vascular tumor that occurs in 5–10% of infants of European descent. A defining feature of infantile hemangioma is the dramatic growth and development into a disorganized mass of blood vessels. Subsequently, a slow spontaneous involution begins around 1 year of age and continues for 4–6 years. The growth and involution of infantile hemangioma is very different from other vascular tumors and vascular malformations, which do not regress and can occur at any time during childhood or adult life. Much has been learned from careful study of the tissue morphology and gene expression patterns during the life-cycle of hemangioma. Tissue explants and tumor-derived cell populations have provided further insight to unravel the cellular and molecular basis of infantile hemangioma. A multipotent progenitor cell capable of de novo blood vessel formation has been isolated from infantile hemangioma, which suggests that this common tumor of infancy, long considered to be a model for pathologic angiogenesis, may also represent pathologic vasculogenesis. Whether viewed as angiogenesis or vasculogenesis, infantile hemangioma represents a vascular perturbation during a critical period of post-natal growth, and as such provides a unique opportunity to decipher mechanisms of human vascular development.     

Jagged1过表达促进老龄大鼠来源的内皮祖细胞向成熟内皮细胞分化

 目的：探讨上调Jagged1表达对内皮培养条件下老龄大鼠来源的内皮祖细胞（EPC）向内皮细胞分化的影响。方法：脱臼处死1～2月龄和19～26月龄SD大鼠,PBS冲洗股骨和胫骨骨髓,Ficoll密度梯度离心分离单个核细胞, 应用含10% FBS的DMEM/F12培养基以差速贴壁法进行体外培养,DiI-ac-LDL与FITC-UEA-1荧光双染进行EPC特性鉴定。实验分为4组：对照组、PIRES2-EGFP转染组、PIRES2-EGFP-Jagged1转染组和未转染的年轻大鼠来源EPC组。荧光显微镜下计数GFP阳性细胞数并计算转染效率;免疫荧光、RT-PCR和Western blotting检测Jagged1 mRNA和蛋白、von Willebrand因子（vWF）及血管内皮生长因子激酶插入区受体（KDR）mRNA表达,体外血管生成实验检测EPC的血管形成能力。结果：转染后Jagged1在EGFP-Jagged1组表达较对照组显著增强（P<0.01）;Jagged1过表达显著促进老龄大鼠EPC vWF与KDR mRNA表达（P<0.01）和体外血管生成能力（P<0.01）; vWF与KDR mRNA表达以及体外血管生成能力在Jagged1转染组与年轻大鼠EPC组间未见有显著差别。结论：Jagged1过表达促进内皮培养条件下老龄大鼠来源EPC向成熟内皮细胞分化。     

Vasculogenesis and angiogenesis in nonseminomatous testicular germ cell tumors

Testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs) comprise the vast majority of all testicular malignancies and are the most common type of cancer among young male adults. The nonseminomatous variant of TGCTs is characterized by the presence of embryonic and extraembryonic tissues together with a population of pluripotent cancer stem cells, the so-called embryonal carcinoma. One of the main causes of the resistance of these tumors to therapy is their ability to invade adjacent tissues and metastasize into distant sites of the body. Both of these tumor processes are highly favored by the neovascularization of the malignant tissue. New vessels can be generated by means of angiogenesis or vasculogenesis, and both have been observed to occur during tumor vascularization. Nevertheless, the precise contribution of each process to the neoplastic vascular bed of TGCTs remains unknown. In addition, another process known as tumor-derived vasculogenesis, in which malignant cells give rise to endothelial cells, has also been reported to occur in a number of tumor types, including experimental TGCTs. The participation and cross talk of these 3 processes in tumor vascularization is of particular interest, given the embryonic origin of teratocarcinomas. Thus, in the present review, we discuss the importance of all 3 vascularization processes in the growth, invasion, and metastasis of testicular teratocarcinomas and summarize the current state of knowledge of the TGCT microenvironment and its relationship with vascularization. Finally, we discuss the importance of vascularization as a therapeutic target for this type of malignancy.     

VHL-deficient vasculogenesis in hemangioblastoma

Hemangioblasts are capable of differentiation into vascular structures and blood. Patients with von Hippel–Lindau (VHL) disease develop hemangioblastomas which are composed of VHL-deficient tumor cells with protracted hemangioblastic differentiation potential. In a subset of these tumors, hemangioblastic differentiation is characterized by different stages of red blood cell formation. It has remained controversial, however, whether VHL-deficient hemangioblastic cells are similarly capable of differentiating into vascular cells and functioning vascular structures in vivo.     

Vasculogenesis and angiogenesis in the early human placenta

Vasculogenesis and angiogenesis are two consecutive processes during blood vessel development in the human placenta. While vasculogenesis, which is the formation of first blood vessels, is achieved by differentiation of pluripotent mesenchymal cells into haemangiogenic stem cells. The subsequent step, angiogenesis, is characterized by development of new vessels from already existing vessels. In this review, we aim to give an overview of vasculogenesis and angiogenesis during the first trimester of human placental development. Recent studies have shown that at the very early stages of placental development, cytotrophoblasts trigger vasculogenesis and angiogenesis, whereas as pregnancy progresses Hofbauer and stromal cells take over the task of triggering blood vessel development. Important growth factors in this scenario are the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family and their receptors, as well as Tie-1 and Tie-2. This review depicts the molecular and morphological steps of vasculogenesis and angiogenesis, which can give further insights into human placental development and maturation disorders.     

Angiogenesis in implantation

Problem Implantation failure and early pregnancy loss are common following natural conceptions and they are particularly important clinical hurdles to overcome following assisted reproduction attempts. The importance of adequate vascular development and maintenance during implantation has recently become a major focus of investigation. Materials and methods Review of current published literature was undertaken to summerize the cells and cell products that regulate tissue vascularity during implantation. Results Vascular development at the maternal fetal interface can be regulated by a number of different cell types; two principal candidates are trophoblast and natural killer cells. A wide range of soluble factors, some with well established angiogenic functions as well as other more novel factors, can contribute to vascular development and maintenance at the maternal–fetal interface. Conclusions Robust vascular development occurs during implantation and early placentation of normal pregnancies. Studies to define the extent and mechanisms by which defects in vascularity contribute to human implantation failure and early miscarriage need to be undertaken. Vascular development during implantation is mediated by numerous cell types and cell products and aberrant vascularity likely contributes to implantation failure and early pregnancy loss.     

2型糖尿病患者外周血内皮祖细胞数量和功能的变化

目的观察2型糖尿病（DM）患者外周血内皮祖细胞（EPCs）数量和功能的改变。方法选择2型DM患者16例和对照组19例，密度梯度离心法收集外周血单个核细胞（MNCs），诱导分化培养7d后，荧光染色和流式细胞术分别鉴定贴壁细胞为EPCs。采用二苯基四氮唑嗅盐（MTT）比色法、黏附能力测定实验和体外血管生成实验检测EPCs的增殖能力、黏附能力和体外血管生成能力。结果2型DM患者外周血EPCs数量明显减少[（3．1±1．2）×10^5]：[（3．9±1．1）×10^5]，P〈0．05。且2型DM患者外周血EPCs黏附能力[（50±15）：（60±11）细膨×200视野，P〈0．05]，增殖能力[（0．170±0．056）：（0．225±0．071）OD值，P〈0．05]，体外血管生成能力均明显受损。结论2型DM患者外周血EPCs的数量减少，且其增殖、黏附和血管生成能力受损。