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Remodeling of aortic smooth muscle during avian embryonic development
Author(s) -
Wiegreffe Christoph,
Christ Bodo,
Huang Ruijin,
Scaal Martin
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
developmental dynamics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.634
H-Index - 141
eISSN - 1097-0177
pISSN - 1058-8388
DOI - 10.1002/dvdy.21888
Subject(s) - dorsal aorta , biology , anatomy , lateral plate mesoderm , splanchnic , population , aorta , embryogenesis , mesoderm , trunk , compartment (ship) , somite , embryo , microbiology and biotechnology , embryonic stem cell , medicine , blood flow , genetics , ecology , oceanography , environmental health , geology , gene
The dorsal aorta is the earliest formed intraembryonic blood vessel in vertebrates composed of an inner lining of endothelial cells (ECs) and a slightly later‐forming outer wall consisting of vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and pericytes. We previously identified the sclerotome as the only somitic compartment contributing to aortic SMCs in the trunk of the avian embryo. However, we demonstrated that the first SMCs in the aortic floor are not of somitic origin and must be derived from a different source. Here, we show that the primary SMCs are a transient population of aortic wall cells originating from the splanchnic mesoderm. A model is presented suggesting that wall formation of the early dorsal aorta in chick is a two‐step process: The primary, transient SMCs in the aortic floor originate in the splanchnic mesoderm, whereas the secondary, definitive SMCs of the entire aortic wall originate in the sclerotome. Developmental Dynamics 238:624–631, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.