To make a proper blood vessel, several major cellular processes must be regulated and integrated. Specifically, endothelial cell division occurs in the context of morphogenetic processes that lead to sprout formation, fusion, and expansion of the vascular network. Normally these distinct processes are elegantly interwoven to produce the appropriate amount of vasculature with the proper 3-dimensional pattern. However, relatively little is known about how endothelial cell division and morphogenesis are regulated in space and time during angiogenesis, and even less is known about how these processes integrate to form blood vessels. We have evidence that two major aspects of endothelial cell division are regulated by morphogenetic cues, the rate of cell division and the orientation of the cleavage plane during mitosis. Thus we hypothesize that morphogenetic signals impact specific parameters of endothelial cell division, and that this input is critical to proper vessel morphogenesis. The ability to recapitulate biological processes leading to proper vessel formation is a requirement for many aspects of regenerative medicine, so a better understanding of how these processes are coordinated will lead to better models and better therapeutic interventions.
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