Integration mechanism of the two cell polarities of endothelial cells in angiogenesis

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 22K20743
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Research Activity Start-up
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: 0802:Biomedical structure and function and related fields
• Research Institution: University of Miyazaki
• Principal Investigator: HANADA Yasuyuki 宮崎大学, 医学部, 助教 (80964965)
• Project Period (FY): 2022-08-31 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 血管新生 / 細胞極性 / 細胞運動 / イメージング

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Angiogenesis is the process where new vessels sprout and elongate from the pre-existing ones to newly construct a vessel network. In this phenomenon, endothelial cells (ECs) migrate to elongate the angiogenic branches, while the new lumens are formed almost simultaneously. In these two types of morphogenetic processes, two types of cell polarities, antero-posterior and apico-basal polarities, respectively, are emerged in ECs. But the integration mechanism of these polarities in angiogenesis has not been clarified.
In this research, some molecular markers of the cell polarities were identified, and it has been shown that pericytes promote angiogenic branch elongation via modifying the dynamics of the polarities in ECs.

Free Research Field

血管生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

血管新生は、新しい血管を増生する現象であり、生体組織の発生で不可欠であることはもちろん、腫瘍や炎症といった病態にも深く関与する。本研究は、血管新生で不可欠な、血管の伸びと内腔の形成という2つの現象がどのように連関して起こるかを明らかにすることを目指すものである。この問題は、2種類の細胞極性が一つの現象の中でどのように制御されるかを知るうえで、血管生物学だけでなく発生生物学において一般性の高いもので、生物学一般においても学術的重要性は高い。また、血管増生の制御機構の解明は、医工学の観点からも重要な基盤となると想定される。