Which endothelial cells are capable of expanding the vascular network?

Endothelial cells form the luminal wall of blood vessels, which supply the body’s cells with nutrients and oxygen. When this supply is insufficient, endothelial cells are activated and form new blood vessels in a process called angiogenesis. Alterations in angiogenesis, both excessive and insufficient, have been described in a variety of diseases, including myocardial infarction, cancer, metabolic diseases, and even in old age. Research over the past decade has allowed us to identify many of the mechanisms by which these processes are activated, but it is not known which cells are activated.

The development of new mass sequencing technologies has made it possible in recent years to identify the great heterogeneity of endothelial cells, both across tissues and within a single tissue, explains Mariona Graupera, researcher at the Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute. In a consortium with the Carlos III National Cardiovascular Research Centre (CNIC) and the Barcelona Research Foundation (IRB Barcelona), Graupera is leading a project that aims to answer the question of whether there is a subtype of endothelial cells that act as precursors. in physiological and pathological conditions. That is, in those moments when the vascular network needs to be expanded.

“In our project, we want to use advanced technology that will allow us to label the DNA of endothelial cells and thus be able to track the progeny of these cells over several generations,” he says. Identifying populations with progenitor properties has the potential to develop new therapeutic strategies with regenerative capacity that will allow more selective and effective stimulation of vascular growth in pathologies characterized by deficient angiogenesis.

Transparency statement: This research is funded by the la Caixa Foundation, the organization that supports the Big Vang scientific information channel.