Lymphatic-to-blood vessel transition in adult microvascular networks: A discovery made possible by a top-down approach to biomimetic model development

Mohammad S. Azimi, Jessica M. Motherwell, Nicholas A. Hodges, Garret R. Rittenhouse, Dima Majbour, Stacey L. Porvasnik, Christine E. Schmidt, Walter L. Murfee*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

14 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective: Emerging areas of vascular biology focus on lymphatic/blood vessel mispatterning and the regulation of endothelial cell identity. However, a fundamental question remains unanswered: Can lymphatic vessels become blood vessels in adult tissues? Leveraging a novel tissue culture model, the objective of this study was to track lymphatic endothelial cell fate over the time course of adult microvascular network remodeling. Methods: Cultured adult Wistar rat mesenteric tissues were labeled with BSI-lectin and time-lapse images were captured over five days of serum-stimulated remodeling. Additionally, rat mesenteric tissues on day 0 and day 3 and 5 post-culture were labeled for PECAM + LYVE-1 or PECAM + podoplanin. Results: Cultured networks were characterized by increases in blood capillary sprouting, lymphatic sprouting, and the number of lymphatic/blood vessel connections. Comparison of images from the same network regions identified incorporation of lymphatic vessels into blood vessels. Mosaic lymphatic/blood vessels contained lymphatic marker positive and negative endothelial cells. Conclusions: Our results reveal the ability for lymphatic vessels to transition into blood vessels in adult microvascular networks and discover a new paradigm for investigating lymphatic/blood endothelial cell dynamics during microvascular remodeling.

Original languageEnglish
Article numbere12595
JournalMicrocirculation
Volume27
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Feb 2020
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • angiogenesis
  • endothelial cell
  • lymphangiogenesis
  • lymphatic
  • microcirculation

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