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Stepwise arteriovenous fate acquisition during mammalian vasculogenesis
Author(s) -
Chong Diana C.,
Koo Yeon,
Xu Ke,
Fu Stephen,
Cleaver Ondine
Publication year - 2011
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.22706
Subject(s) - vasculogenesis , biology , cell fate determination , embryonic stem cell , anatomy , artery , vein , blood vessel , medicine , microbiology and biotechnology , stem cell , endocrinology , gene , genetics , transcription factor , progenitor cell
Arteriovenous (AV) differentiation is a critical step during blood vessel formation and stabilization. Defects in arterial or venous fate lead to inappropriate fusion of vessels, resulting in damaging arteriovenous shunts. While many studies have unraveled the molecular underpinnings that drive AV fate, surprisingly, the spatiotemporal emergence of arteries and veins in mammalian embryos remains unknown. Here, we examine artery and vein specification and differentiation during vasculogenesis. We show that the first intraembryonic vessels formed are arteries, which differentiate in a stepwise manner. By contrast, veins emerge later, progressively forming after embryonic turning. In addition, we demonstrate that hemodynamic flow is not required for arterial specification, but is required for maintenance of select arterial markers. Together, our results provide a first spatiotemporal analysis of mammalian AV cell fate establishment and anatomy, as well as a delineation of a molecular toolkit for analysis of arteries and veins during early vessel development. Developmental Dynamics 240:2153–2165, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.