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VEGFR signaling during lymphatic vascular development: From progenitor cells to functional vessels
Author(s) -
Secker Genevieve A.,
Harvey Natasha L.
Publication year - 2015
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.24227
Subject(s) - biology , lymphatic system , lymphangiogenesis , microbiology and biotechnology , signal transduction , vascular endothelial growth factor c , immune system , angiogenesis , immunology , cancer research , neuroscience , vascular endothelial growth factor , vascular endothelial growth factor a , metastasis , cancer , vegf receptors , genetics
Lymphatic vessels are an integral component of the cardiovascular system, serving important roles in fluid homeostasis, lipid absorption, and immune cell trafficking. Defining the mechanisms by which the lymphatic vasculature is constructed and remodeled into a functional vascular network not only provides answers to fascinating biological questions, but is fundamental to understanding how lymphatic vessel growth and development goes awry in human pathologies. While long recognized as dysfunctional in lymphedema and exploited as a route of tumor metastasis, recent work has highlighted important roles for lymphatic vessels in modulating immune responses, regulating salt‐sensitive hypertension and important for lung inflation at birth. Substantial progress in our understanding of the signaling pathways important for development and morphogenesis of the lymphatic vasculature has been made in recent years. Here, we review advances in our knowledge of the best characterized of these signaling pathways, that involving the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family members VEGF‐C and VEGF‐D, together with their receptors VEGFR2 and VEGFR3. Recent work has defined multiple levels at which signal transduction by means of this key axis is regulated; these include control of ligand processing and bioavailability, modulation of receptor activation by interacting proteins, and regulation of receptor endocytosis and trafficking. Developmental Dynamics 244:323–331, 2015 . © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.